Faces of Heroes
by Undaed15
Summary: Sequel to my story Many New Faces. The board has been set as the remnants of ROSA, EMBR, LWTJ, BLCP, and a few new faces join with the remains of RWBY, JNPR, and all the others as they become what they were always destined to be...Heroes
1. Chapter 1

The young child cooed as the woman set her down gently, the baby girl's eyes slowly falling as she settled in her crib. The woman gently caressed the babies head, the soft skin reminding her of what she was about to do. The woman looked out into the night, the moon illuminating her as she closed the curtains. She took a deep breath, jumping slightly at the sound of the door opening behind her.

"They're here my lady." The old male voice said, the wisdom in it sounding loud and true.

"Thank you Merlin," The woman said as she walked towards a nearby table, picking up the blade that laid upon it. The blue and gold engravings still shined brightly, contrasting the steel as she looked over it. A single word was inscribed upon it in an ancient language but she knew the word, Gram. She quickly grabbed a nearby sheath and slid it in before looking up to match Merlin's eyes, "Merlin…take care of her."

"I know my lady," The old man sighed as he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulder, "Just be sure to return in good time, if she has to grow up without a mother, that'd be a greater tragedy than the one that befell your dear Beowulf."

The woman winced at his name, she wanted so badly to see him again, to feel his bearded face against her palm, but it was not to be. She grit her teeth as she started out the door, leaving the old man to his lonesome. The light of the hall illuminated her as she move through it, her blue dress billowing as she moved to her destination. The servants paid her no mind as she walked for it wasn't their place to ask questions, her blond hair marked her as one of the masters of the house.

She stopped in front of a door with two guards in front of it, both wearing chainmail.

"Lady Artoria, what are you doing here?" One of them asked.

"I'm here to retrieve my father's armor for the ceremony." She said in a commanding tone, the two soldiers looked at each other.

"I'm sorry my lord, but we have been given specific instructions to not let you enter the armory." The guard who spoke earlier responded.

"You would stop me from retrieving my father's personal armor?" Artoria asked in an angry tone.

"I'm sorry, but unless he sends word, I'm afraid the answer is yes." The soldier replied as he looked over to the other guard to get some backup, only to see him fall to the ground. The other guard didn't even have time to call for help before he felt a blow on the back of his neck.

"Well, that was easier than expected." Perseus's voice came out of nowhere as he faded into sight.

"Were are the others?" Artoria asked.

"Securing transport," The man said as he lifted a card off the guards and slid it into a nearby insert, "We'll see how that goes, they aren't exactly the most subtle of people."

"So why did you recruit them?" The woman said as the door opened.

"Eh, they're the only ones crazy enough to follow us." Perseus stated as they entered the armor, weapons and armor decorated the walls but Artoria moved right past them all, stopping at a table with a cloth over it. She pulled it right off to reveal her old armor, albeit with one alteration. The armor was, rather than black, a light blue color. She lifted up the helmet, pressing her head against it as a sign of respect before undressing herself.

"Hey, be quick about it," Perseus whispered as he dragged the bodies in, "It isn't going to take long before they realize two guards are missing."

Artoria nodded and, after revealing that she was wearing jeans and a shirt underneath her dress, quickly started putting on the armor. Soon, she tapped Perseus on the shoulder, the man turning around to see her nod before putting on the helmet. The pair started walking, closing the Dorr behind them as they moved. The two moved throughout the halls, doing their best to not make any noise.

"Hanger is that way." Artoria whispered as she pointed a large metallic door with a guard in front of it. Perseus nodded as he faded away, soon, the guard got a face full of wall as the Mistrali slammed him into it. Artoria walked forward, pressing a button to slowly open the metal door. The door opened enough for them to enter and close it behind them, the pair stopped as they turned around.

"Somethings not right…there should be dock workers…" Artoria muttered before a light suddenly shined on the pair and the clicking of guns being ready got their attention.

"My, my, what have we here?" A voice rang out, the pairs eyes shot up to a balcony were four figures were standing. One of them was wearing green armor, one wearing steel armor with a green sash, another in golden armor, and the final wore black robes, the one in black continued, "My dear sister, trying to run away?"

"Morgana…" Artoria growled as she looked upon the woman's face, it was a beautiful but vain face that looked upon her with a sneer.

"Lady Artoria," The man in green called, "Please, return to your quarters, you will not receive punishment as long as you do so."

"And what, pray tell Galahad, will happen to my companion?" The woman yelled back.

"He will be executed, for trespassing, theft, and attempting to kidnap the lady of the house." Morgana said with a laugh.

"Well then," Artoria growled, "Both of you can rot in hell were you belong."

"If that is your wish, then I have only one order," Morgana said with a frown, "Open fire."

"Morgana," Galahad said quickly, "Our orders are to take her alive."

"Shut up fool," Morgana growled, "Do you not see that armor? It is Lancelot's! Our bullets will do nothing but slow her down…but that other man will die."

Galahad helm looked down in thought as the bullets started ripping towards the pair, the two diving behind some crates.

"Well this is a problem." Perseus growled as he pulled out his scroll.

"Where is our backup?!" Artoria yelled as the crates started chipping away.

"I'm on it!" The man growled as he pulled out a scroll and dialed a number, "Where are you guys?"

"Coming in hot," A female Scottish voice replied, "And I've got a present for you bastards!"

The roar of an engine filled the air as an airship came flying in, the hatch doors opening. Another roar ripped out of it as an object came rocketing out, the object slammed into the nearest gunman before slowing down to reveal the motorcycle. It's back half whirled up and around to slam into the nearest man, sending him flying before a few shots echoed as well as the sound of an action being worked. The spinning stopped at the man on the bike was visible, almost anyone would recognize his mustache.

"Cheer's love," Teddy yelled out, "The Rough Riders here!"

 **Insert "Redneck Punk," Jackyl…**

"Galahad," Morgana said as she looked at the man in green, "Deal with him."

The knight nodded as he jumped down to the ground, a spear in hand. His eyes matched Teddy's from across the room, the cowboy grinned as he revved up the engine. The bike rocketed forward as Galahad readied himself before leaping into the air, the cowboy looked up and leapt off his bike, the spear narrowly missing both him and the bike. Teddy twisted in the air and fired a shot at the man, who quickly dodged it as the cowboy landed.

Teddy quickly turned to doge a thrust from the man, going under and stabbing at Galahad with his bayonet. The knight whirled his spear around to deflect the blade, only for Teddy to follow up by slamming the butt of his gun into the man's jawline. Galahad growled as he shoved Teddy away, before gripping his spear even tighter.

"Get out of my way fancy pants." Teddy growled as he aimed his weapon at the knight, the knight replied by yelling as he charged in with a swing. The cowboy ducked underneath it before shooting at the knight, the bullets colliding with the mans armored chest. The knight flinched as he suddenly slammed his spears head downward, following up the rolling Teddy with a kick. The cowboy was sent back as the knight stabbed at his chest, sending the cowboy even farther back.

Teddy grit his teeth as he regained his footing, only to realize that the knights spearhead was crackling with electricity.

"Face judgment for your crimes," Galahad yelled as he pointed the head of the spear at Teddy, "Feel the holy light, Grail Judgment!"

Teddy couldn't doge the bolt of lightning that was sent forth, the electricity slamming into his chest. Teddy yelped in pain as he felt the current take him, freezing up his muscles, and allowing the knight to run beside him. Galahad slammed the spear into Teddy, sending him careening through the air. The cowboy landed roughly on the ground, rolling up to his feet, panting in pain.

"Impressive, most people wouldn't be able to stand after being hit with my Judgment Bolt," The knight said as he readied the weapon again, "You would have made a fine knight had you been born here."

The man let loose the bolt, only to gasp as Teddy grinned and fired a shot from his weapon, the bullet passing through the lightning…and carrying it back to Galahad. The knight felt his joints lock up as the electricity barreled through his armor, only to groan in pain as Teddy followed up the lightning with a slash at the knight who managed to lift up his weapon in time to block it.

Teddy grinned as his hit was blocked as he let go of his weapon and slammed his fist into Galahads jaw, the man yelped as he was sent back, before he roared as he slammed his weapon downward, only for Teddy to weave out of the way. The cowboy followed up by upper cutting the knight's jaw, before laying a flurry of body blows before leaping up and kicking the knight's jaw. Galahad fell to the floor with a groan, he lifted his head only to get a boot to the face, knocking him out cold.

"And if I was a knight, I'd have had honor." Teddy growled before looking at the rest of the gang.

 **End music**

 **Begin "Where Eagles Dare," Iron Maiden**

Perseus quickly dodged the ax of the knight known as Gawain swung it with all his might, the blade missing him by a hair. He growled a he whirled it around, hitting the teen with the butt of the weapon, a tooth flying out with a speck of blood. Perseus dodged another swing at him, this time stabbing at the knight with his sword. The knight's armor held strong as the blade failed to penetrate it, the green sash was the only thing that had been damaged.

Perseus leapt back, landing on the balls of his feet. Gawain growled as he gripped his ax harder, his breathing becoming fuller of rage. Perseus likewise growled before he rushed in, leaping over the knight's swing, landing a slash at Gawain's back. The knight growled once again as he whirled around forcing Perseus to duck under the blow, right before Gawain followed up by slamming his weapon into the ground. Perseus nearly dodged, spreading his legs apart before rolling away and to his feet. His eyes fell upon the knight once again, before he cracked his knuckles.

He suddenly put his sword near his other arm, a mechanical sound could be heard as the weapon shifted into a disk, only for the warrior to draw the blade out. The knight looked at the blade and shield with a nod as he readied himself, indeed…this would be interesting. The teen leapt in, dodging a strike from the knight, before leaping up and kicking him in the jaw. Gawain fell back a step before Perseus landed, slashing at the knight, who's armor held.

Gawain smiled as he felt the blow, right before groaning as Perseus swung his shield around, slamming its side into his gut. The big man leaned over as Perseus continued his assault, slashing and punching at the man's now exposed back. Gawain roared as he swung his ax around, only for Perseus to deflect it off and continue his assault. The knight suddenly lashed out with a right hook, the blow sending the teen back a few steps, his head ringing from the blow.

Perseus looked up to see the ax blade hit him in the chest, sending him flying into a nearby wall. The knight didn't let up as he charged in, swinging his weapon downward in a savage chop. Perseus narrowly dodged the blow before jumping off the wall but, rather than attack Gawain directly, he landed on the knights shoulders and leapt off before coming back down and kicking the knight into the wall.

Gawain growled as he regained his footing, only for Perseus to launch back in. The teen slammed his shield into the knight's helmet, making a resounding clang. Gawain's vision got fuzzy as he shook off the blow, only for the teen to keep slamming his shield into him. Each blow made Gawain's head go deeper and deeper into the wall, but Perseus didn't let up, he kept slamming the metal disk into the poor knight's head. Gawain's ax feel from his grip, blood started running down from under his helmet. Perseus raised his shield for another blow before a hand grabbed his arm, the teen turned to see Teddy.

"That's enough!" The cowboy yelled, "He's done! You don't have to kill him!"

Perseus opened his mouth but turned to look at his opponent, he noticed the helmet was bent to hell and back. The teen took a step back, realizing how close he had come to crossing that thin line.

"Let's go, the ship needs protecting." Teddy said, grabbing Perseus and pulling him away.

 **Insert "Blood of Bannockbern," Sabaton…**

The young knight in gold walked towards the landing ship, his sword in his hand. A snarl was on his lips as he saw the ships doors opening, his grip tightened.

"Make sure that ship doesn't leave the docks." The man growled as the soldiers saluted and started running towards the ship, only for a blast of fire to send them flying back.

"Back your arse up," The Scottish teenagers voice yelled as she walked out, "Or am I gonna have to kick it?"

The knight growled as one of his shoulders charged in, slamming down a sword. Willow dodged the attack before slamming her sword across the man's chest, sending him flying. Another soldier ran in but she grabbed him and threw him to the ground, the man gasped as Willow dodged another strike from a third soldier. The highlander growled as she grabbed the soldier and threw her on top of the already downed one. They both groaned in pain as Willow's weapon opened and she slid in three dust crystals before turning to face the knight in gold.

"Stand down men," The knight said as he walked forward, pointing his blade at the teen, "I'll handle her."

Willow snarled as she readied her weapon, it was larger than her opponents but, considering what she knew about the training of the knights of this land…this wouldn't be easy. The knight yelled as he charged in, forcing Willow to block. The two blades sparked as they collided, highland steel vs knightly steel colliding in a contest that was still fighting to this day, before Willow pushed the knight back. He stopped himself, before charging in, shoulder bashing the teen. She fell back a step but managed to raise her weapon to block the second strike, this one she allowed her opponents blade to slide down the sword so she could perform a right cross to his jaw.

The knight growled as pushed off, grunting as he did. His hand came up to his helmet, shaking off the ringing in his ears. He suddenly rolled out of the way of a huge overhanded swing from Willow, who followed up by dragging the sword around and almost colliding with his head. The knight roared as he shoulder bashed again, this time following up by slashing at her arm. Willow grunted as she felt the blow through her Aura, before her blade started crackling with electricity. She swung it around again, only for the knight blade to come up and block it. The energy crackled but the knight didn't budge, suddenly his sword seemed to drink in the electricity. Willow quickly shoved him away, before looking at the sword in his hand in shock.

"My blade is made of some of the finest metals in our land, it can absorb Dust. You've already lost!" He charged in again, Willow quickly swung her sword at him, only for him to deflect it and catch her in the side. She felt the blow through her Aura yet again, her weapon hitting the ground and discharging the pent up energy. Willow quickly rolled to her feet, she grit her teeth and picked up her weapon. She knew that this wouldn't work, this knight's strength was nearly on par with her own and she could feel time ticking away. She needed to end this quickly, the highlander looked at her weapon. She quickly looked up at the knight as he readied his next attack, she suddenly pressed a button on her blade. Ice particles formed on the sides of it before a dull glow followed it, she readied herself.

The knight jumped into the air, slamming his sword down, Willowed followed suit, swinging her sword upwards. The two blades collided and a bright flash could be seen, the knight was suspended in the air by the energy.

"I already told you, my blade can absorb dust," The man yelled as he pressed down, "You've doomed yourself fool!"

"I heard you the first time," Willow said with a grin, "But tell me…can it absorb two at the same time?"

The knight suddenly looked at his blade and noticed that it was actually starting to crack, his eyes flew back to her.

"What did you do witch?" He yelled.

"Nothing much," She said with a grin, "Just combined two forms of dust at once."

The knight would have said more but suddenly his sword exploded, sending him back into a nearby crate. He growled as he tried to get to his feet, only to cry out in pain as Willow shoved her sword into his shoulder. The knight looked up and started to curse, only for Willow to rip the blade out and kick him across the jawline. His groan told her that he had been knocked out a she turned to face the trio approaching her.

 **End music…**

The group started running towards the airship, which was being accosted by some of the lesser guards. The guards turned to see the small group charging them and dispersed after seeing that their champions had been defeated; the teens boarded the ship as they arrived.

"Josephine," Teddy yelled as he ran next to her, "What's our status?"

"Not good," The woman yelled back, "They've alerted the outside, the AA guns are going to be booting up soon, we need to leave now!"

"We can't," Perseus yelled, "Artoria is still out there!"

"Then go get her in!" Josephine yelled as she started pressing buttons on the control panels, the bronze teen nodded as he started down the boarding ramp, only to step back as he saw the group of soldiers had swelled and were all pointing guns at the ship.

"Teddy, we've got company!" The teen yelled as he opened his shield, looking up to see that Artoria was still battling Morrigan up on the railings.

 **Insert "This Will be the Day, (Acoustic)," Jeff Williams…**

Morrigan whirled her staff and dagger around, catching Artoria's blade and stabbing forth into her chest. The dagger did nothing against the armor as the knight pushed the woman's blade away before slashing at the woman's torso, the crafty witch backing out of the way. They both snarled as they charged in, their blades sparking as they clashed.

"Why are you trying to leave us?" Morrigan yelled as they locked eyes, "Why? You have everything here! Your kingdom needs you now more than ever!"

Artoria pushed back, a fire in her eyes practically illuminating her face.

"Why? Look around you! The world is about to start burning and yet we stay here and pretend it's ancient times! A king's duty is protect the innocent!"

"And what of your subjects?" The witch yelled as she pushed Artoria back and slashed at her torso, "What happens to them when you're off saving the world? We are on the verge of collapse! Our very way of life will vanish before us!"

Artoria growled as she whirled her blade around, catching it the with the guard. Morrigan growled before she followed up by launching a fire ball at Artoria's feet, forcing her forward and allowing the witch to slam her staff into the teen's head. Artoria fell to the railing, shaking her head as Morrigan put her staff on her neck.

"Yield Artoria," The woman growled, "I don't want to have to hurt you, and please…your people need you."

"Shut up!" Artoria yelled as she shoved the staff away and grabbed Morrigan's arm, "I do care about my people and I know that I'm going to abandon them…but I have to. I'll endure the pain it brings me, I'll endure the shame, but I have to!"

The knight pulled Morrigan close, her eyes aligning with Morrigans.

"I won't let the world burn because we are afraid…there are far more important things to this world than just our borders." The teen said with fury in her voice as she punched the witch across the jaw, sending her to the railing. She coughed up blood before turning to face Artoria, her eyes filling with tears.

"Don't go…please…we can't lose you again…" Morrigan said as she reached out for Artoria, only for the knight to turn and start walking away.

"I'm sorry…I know how much you care." Artoria said, only for Morrigan to start weeping at her backside.

"You could never know why…" Morrigan bawled as Artoria jumped off the railing onto the floor below.

 **End music…**

Artoria ran towards the ship, where Teddy and Perseus were blasting off the guards.

"My lady," Teddy said as she entered the ship, knocking away any of the guard who tried to stop her, "Jose! Let's go!"

"All right!" Josephine yelled as the ship started tilting for takeoff, "Hold on!"

The ship boosters roared as they shot out of the hanger, Teddy and Perseus grabbing a nearby railing to prevent themselves from flying out as well.

"You could have closed the doors!" Perseus yelled as they shot into the sky.

"We don't have time for that," Josephine yelled, "We've got to get out of her ASAP!"

"Boy's, we've got a problem!" Willows voice made the pair turn, the teen was staring at a screen, "We've got a missile at six o'clock!"

The pair whirled around to see the trail of fire it was leaving behind.

"Josephine!" Perseus yelled.

"It's no good! It's locked on to our heat signature! We stole this when it was being repaired, it doesn't have any flares!" The woman yelled as the rocket zoomed closer. Teddy growled as he ran back into the ship, looking for something to help. Perseus kept looking at the missile in desperation, he was trying to think of a way to stop that missile. That's when the sound of an engine filled the room, the teen turned around just in time to dodge Teddy's bike as it zoomed out of the airship.

The mustached teen leaped off the bike before it collided with the missile, his hand outstretched towards the ship as the explosion propelled him forward. Perseus reached out and grabbed it as Teddy neared the ship, the pair almost falling out if not for the intervention of Willow and Artoria, who both grabbed Perseus. They pulled the hard breathing pair in, the doors closing behind them.

"We should be smooth sailing from here on out!" Josephine said in a relived tone, "Radio chatter say's that the missile was a fluke, with Artoria on board they won't blast us with the AA guns either."

The crew all breathed a sigh of relief before Teddy got to his feet and held out his hand to Artoria.

"Just saying…you owe me a bike." The teen said with a hearty laugh as they started off towards the horizon.

 **A few days later…**

Morrigan looked over the scroll in her hand as she reviewed the footage, looking up at the man sitting in front of her. He was a large man, wearing a brown cloak that showed off his huge, scarred chest. His legs were covered with pants of the same color, his brown boots barely making a sound as he got to his feet. Two spears lay upon his back, one a bright red, the other a dark black. Morrigan looked up as he towered over her, his breathing filling the room.

"You know what to do, bring her home," Morrigan said as the man turned around, "Kill all who get in your way, no matter who."

The man kept walking forward as a knight entered the room behind Morrigan.

"Are you sure that's wise?" He asked, "That man is a barbarian, they aren't known for their skills."

"That man once defeated Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad in a tournament," The witch said, "They were no novice warriors either."

"They were young then," The knight replied gruffly, "I highly doubt that man could beat Galahad now."

"Enough," Morrigan said with a silencing stare, "Our friend there will retrieve Artoria for us, it is not in their nature to reign on a deal…unlike others."

"Still, could we have not accomplished this with our own knights? What of Sir Galahad or Sir Tristan? Surely they would be able to find her and convince her to return." The knight asked.

"Or they would join her," Morrigan said in an annoyed tone, "The knights we have aren't even certain of our own course of action, they debate amongst themselves if it is just. We chose someone we could rely on, someone who's loyalty goes beyond just bonds of words…remember Sir Lamorak…blood ties are far thicker than any paper ties. He will retrieve Artoria…he has too for the honor of his people."

"This man…Culhwch, is not of her blood," The knight growled, "That is a disgraceful lie that dissenters have propagated to slander us."

"Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter," The witch said as she got to her feet, "He does…and he intends to prove it, one way or the other."


	2. Arrival

"So uh…where did Aedan go?" Ruby asked as RRNJRS surveyed the landscape of Mistral.

"He's…visiting someone." Qrow muttered.

"I hope he gets some booze," Rick muttered, "This place annoys me already…"

"Rick, just because it's dense and crowded doesn't mean it's going to be a bad place to live." Micca laughed as she grabbed the psycho's shoulder.

"Yeah," Rick groaned, "I'm just ready to start this party…I'm getting an itch."

"Rick, don't go around waving your ax again," Jaune said with a laugh, "We barely got you out of jail last time."

"It's not my fault that people aren't prepared for a random person chasing a pervert through the streets." Rick said in a defensive tone.

"Hey," Nora laughed, "It certainly made me laugh."

The rest of the group laughed as they started off towards the academy, a smile on all of their faces.

 **Meanwhile, near the Mistral Coast…**

"Besides, if we picked up their transmission, someone else probably did too," The pilot responded to Weiss, "I just want to finish this job and get home."

"I agree," Alex said as he walked into the main cabin, "Besides, even with you and me, there's no telling what was attacking them. It could be a simple nevermore or it could be a leviathan, we can't take that risk."

"…I know…" Weiss muttered as she walked off towards the back cargo hold.

"It's hard," The pilot said as Alex turned to leave, "Feeling powerless, I know that feeling."

"Yeah, she's still getting used to it." The fox muttered as he turned around and started off.

 **Nearby…**

The airships were desperately circling around the Grimm, hoping to avoid another hit.

"We can't take another hit like that!" One of the crew members yelled, looking at the huge hole in the side of the airship.

"Keep it steady," The captain yelled, "We've got passengers aboard and we can't afford to lose them!"

"Another attack off the port bow!" Another crew member yelled, all crew eyes snapped to the side of the ship to see the giant insect like Grimm coming in at ramming speed.

"Brace for impact!" The captain yelled, the crew all grabbing something nearby to hold on to…except…the blow never came. The crew looked up to see the Grimm was falling down, smoking as electricity crackled around it.

 **Insert "Outlaw," Texas Hippie Coalition…**

The Grimm fell down to reveal an airship, its hatches down to reveal a young teenager in green armor, a pianji in her hands. Another armored figure stepped forward with a huge shield and purple roman styled armor, the pair looked at each other and nodded before jumping off the ship onto the other. The Grimm all looked at them and roared as they flew into the air and charged at the pair. The girl in purple armor stepped forward, the base of her shield opening to reveal a revved up minigun.

The sheer volume of lead reduced the first of the Grimm that had charged at the pair, the rest dispersing to attempt to flank them. The smaller girl in green whirled her staff around and sent out blast of Dust into the various Grimm that had been surrounding them, her weapon bringing them down quickly. However, soon the Grimm had surrounded them, the pair had stepped back to back.

"This might not have been the best course of action…" The girl in green whispered to the one in purple.

"Wait for it…" The armored girl responded with a smile as a few shots rang out, hitting the Grimm and sending them into the ground, "Let's go!"

The pair started running across the open path, the Grimm following the pair in a long line.

"Thatch, are you ready?"

"As ready as this piece of crap can be," A cockney voice rang out over a communicator, "I'm gonna kill that fox if I ever see him again."

"In all fairness, he did say it could blow up." A male French voice rang out over the intercom.

"HE didn't say it would total my ship!" The other male yelled.

"Focus!" The woman in purple yelled as her and her companion continued to run across the ship, her respective air ship suddenly coming over her. It lowered to reveal a figure with a rifle and bayonet combo aiming, taking shots and any Grimm getting too close. As the party neared the edge of the ship, the pair leaped off, landing in their ship.

"Wait for it…" The cockney said as he looked out the rear port, the swarm getting close as they tipped downward towards the water, "Wait for it…"

"Thatch!" The woman in purple yelled as they neared the water.

"Dump it!" The pilot named Thatch yelled, the teen with the rifle quickly pushed a button on a nearby console. Thatch pulled up right at the moment the ships flames fired, shooting a blast of heat into the column of Grimm. Their momentum preventing them from changing course as they burned in the heat, the ones that avoided it quickly flew off in search of easier prey.

"That went a lot better than it had any reason too Maria." Thatch called out as the ship leveled out.

"Not one of my better plans, but it worked." The woman in purple called out as she walked to the front of the ship.

"Come in, are you there?" A voice crackled from the radio.

"Are we going to answer it?" The woman in green asked.

"Alison has a point," The man with the rifle, now revealed to be wearing armor with a blue tabard on it, "Our presence here is supposed to be a secret."

"Francois, grab the radio," Maria said as she walked to the back of the ship and closed the doors, "Your good at spending stories with your female friends, spend one for them."

"Mierda…" Francois muttered as he grabbed the radio.

 **End Music…**

 **In Mistral Academy…**

"It's way too quiet," Micca muttered, her hand going to her axe, "Somethings not right."

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Ren said as he looked around.

"Well…I guess school isn't really in session right now…maybe that's it?" Jaune suggested.

"No…this isn't right, come on…" Qrow ordered as he took off down the hallway.

"Crap…I didn't mean I wanted to actually fight…" Rick growled as he pulled his shotgun off his back.

The group ran to the head door, Qrow pulling out his weapon.

"Get ready, might be trouble." He yelled as he kicked the door down, revealing a grey haired man in haven colors. The man screamed, causing the kids to scream and Rick to fall down with his gun ranged. The teen yelped as he felt his gun get whipped from his hand. The teen looked up to see a figure in Kabuto standing above him, a nodachi in hand as well as Rick's shotgun in the other.

"Qrow, you scared me half to death!" The man yelled as he and Qrow looked at each other, both of them falling over out of shock.

"Me? Why weren't you waiting for us at the entrance?" Qrow yelled back, the man looked down at his watch with an embarrassed look in his eyes.

"Oh forgive me…I lost track of time." The man said as he got to his feet.

"You're joking?" Qrow asked, his eye's showing a lot of anger.

"Where is everybody?" Nora piped in as the group sheathed their weapons, the figure in armor handing Rick back his.

"Ah…you must be the students Qrow mentioned…" The man said as he got a look at the group, the group all smiled as they introduced themselves.

"A pleasure to meet you all," The man said with a laugh, "Professor Leo Lionheart, apologies, my staff is currently away until classes start…well…most of them."

The professor gestured towards the figure in armor, who bowed before walking into the room.

"Leo…who's guarding the relic?" Qrow growled as he walked forward.

"Qrow…the children…" Leo said defensively.

"Already know…I filled them in," Qrow growled, "What do you mean your staff is away?"

"Filled them in?" Lionheart asked, clearly confused.

"If Aedan was here, he'd be kicking your ass." Qrow growled, noticing the figure in armor perk up suddenly at that name.

"Aedan…he's here?" Lionheart asked, fear creeping into his eyes, "Where is he?"

 **In the Flint Dojo…**

Aedan sipped his tea as he looked at the young woman in front of him, placing down the cup.

"So…Lionheart sent his staff home?" He asked the young woman, who nodded.

"Yes Aedan," She sighed, "He sent them home and he hasn't talked to me or the other sensei's."

"That's a tad disturbing Fuu," Aedan said as he sipped his tea again, "And what about the huntsmen?"

"I haven't seen them, neither has Mugen." Fuu replied as she took a sip of her tea as well.

"That's even more concerning…" Aedan said as he put his hand on his chin in thought, right before grabbing a bokken nearby and raising it above his head, blocking a fellow wooden blade. The samurai smiled as he turned around and smacked the assailant in the ribs, the man fell back, his wild hair falling around him.

"You're getting slow old man." The man replied with a raspy voice.

"Come lad, is that anyway to treat your uncle in law?" Aedan asked, getting a laugh from Fuu.

"He's been dying for a rematch ever since you beat him last time." She laughed out, earning a grin from Aedan.

"Lad…you're gonna have to wait on that one," Aedan laughed right before he coughed into his hand, blood splattering the table, "Damn…"

"Aedan…what's…?" Fuu squeaked out before a hand fell on her shoulder, she turned around to see a man in a blue kimono and a blade on his hip staring at her.

"You're sick…that's why you're slowing down." The man in blue responded.

"Aye…you've always been observant lad…" Aedan coughed out, "How's your wife?"

"She's doing fine, we're expecting a child in the coming months." The man in blue responded as he sat down as well.

"Wait, go back," The man in red exclaimed as he ran up to the table, "You're sick?!"

"Very," Aedan said as he looked up, "I'm afraid I'm not going to be fighting for much longer."

"Uncle Aedan…" Fuu whispered before the wild haired man cut her off by grabbing Aedan's shirt.

"What do you mean by that? You're just gonna die?" He yelled, "What the hell Aedan? You can't just die! We've got crap to settle! I've got to beat you…I'm…"

"Mugen!" Fuu yelled, the man looked at her before shoving Aedan away and storming off.

"I can't believe he's only worried about fighting you…" Fuu growled.

"He's not…" Aedan replied as he got to his feet.

"Aedan's right…Mugen's responding the only way he knows how," The man in blue replied, "He's just as shocked as you are, Fuu, he's just showing it differently."

"He's right…" Aedan said with a sigh, "I came by to tell you…frankly I almost didn't, it's…hard to say such things."

"Aedan…can you be cured?" Fuu asked, "We've got money saved up, we can…"

"No lass…this isn't something that can be cured," The samurai sighed again, "However, I have to no intention of dying today…I've got some things to be taken care of."

"You want us to send word to William?" The man in blue asked as Aedan started out the door.

"If you can…he's back in Menagerie right?" Aedan asked back.

"Yeah…I hope he's doing alright." Fuu replied.

 **Near the coastline…**

"I can't believe they bought that." Thatch laughed as they neared the ground.

"Mercenaries aren't uncommon in these parts." Alison piped in.

"But most ask for payment of some form," Maria said with a grin, "So now there's gonna be a legend of a group of mercenaries who don't have a strong need to eat in the future."

"It was thrust upon me," Francois said as he leaned back in the chair, "Besides, with the rest of the stuff that's been happening, it's not like there won't be a bunch of soldiers abandoned by Atlas running around."

"You've got a point there," Maria said as she looked at a map on a console, "Thatch, any ideas where they would have gone?"

"They would have been trying to avoid attention, so probably take a low altitude near the forest. Smugglers do that to avoid detection, the only problem is that Grimm and bandits might take you down." The man said as he looked at the map as well.

"So how do we track them?" Alison asked as she stepped into the cockpit.

"We will probably have to hit some villages nearby, see if they stopped for supplies," Thatch answered, "Or we start hitting bandit tribes until they talk."

"Uh…Thatch?" Alison suddenly asked as she pointed out a large clearing of broken trees, "Is that another way to track them?"

"Hopefully not…" Thatch whispered as he positioned the ship above the crash site and slowly lowered it down, the four quickly armed themselves and got off the ship to survey the crash site. Nearby bits of metal and destroyed trees lead to the main wreckage with a symbol on it.

"Well…that makes our job a lot harder," Francois growled as he started heading for it.

"Find the Black Box," Thatch yelled, "We're gonna need it!"

"Alison, you and I will check out the nearby area, see if we can't find survivors." Maria ordered, the group nodding as they went their respective ways. The two women going into a nearby tree line, their hands on their weapons.

"Do you think they survived?" Alison asked as they started combing through the nearby wreckage.

"Probably," Maria responded, "If they are half as tough and skilled as their dossiers reported, I'm more concerned with how they got brought down."

"Their ship was stolen, maybe it malfunctioned?" Alison suggested.

"Possibly, but we won't know for…" Maria started but suddenly stopped as she looked at a nearby tree, she took a step back with a gasp. Alison stepped forward as well and was equally taken aback, leaning an against the tree was a corpse of a man wearing White Fang colors, appearing with a slit throat and multiple stab wounds. His right hand was missing and his eyes were wide with fear, his blood had fully dried and was now a cracked red mess below him.

"Do you think it was…?" Alison started before Maria cut her off.

"That's one possibility," Maria said with a nod, "But we've got more important issues, if they aren't here that means their…"

"In the clutches of the White Fang…" Alison finished as the two suddenly turned around and ran back, eager to inform the others.

 **In Menagerie…**

"We can't let them get away with this!" Ghira and Sun yelled at each other as they entered the Belladonna residence, Kali and Azul following behind them.

"Well…at least you two can finally agree on something…" The woman said with a bit of a laugh.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Azul said as he stepped forward, "It's not hard to deny evidence when it's not concrete."

"Guy's…it's gonna be OK." Blake said as she entered behind the pair.

"I don't think that's the proper response," Willy growled as he entered, "They know we're gunning for them now, it's gonna be even harder to get evidence against them."

"I could've told you that," Jesse yawned as he came from upstairs as he took a long drag from a cigarette, "Them bastards are gonna cover themselves up nice and good now, or worse."

"They might retaliate," Theodora voice came from behind the bounty hunter, "We should start getting our defenses ready."

The group agreed as they split up to their respective rooms.

 **A few minutes later…**

Ilya jumped at the sound of a shotgun being cocked, Willy slowly walked out of the room to the pair of girls.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't blow your bloody head off right now." The bartender growled as he aimed it at the Faunas.

"Willy, wait…" Blake said, getting in between the two before turning to Ilya, "You're gonna have to force me to go."

"I know…" Ilya said as she jumped off the balcony, Willy running over, tracing his shotgun over the tree line.

"What the hell it wrong with you?" William yelled as he put his shotgun over his shoulder, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Willy, she wouldn't hurt me." Blake started before the man cut her off.

"Maybe you've forgotten lass, but we're in the middle of a war right now," Willy growled, "They'll use her to get close to ya, you're the face of this so called 'resistance,' and you're just talking to their main assassin?"

"I'm not the leader of the White Fang," Blake replied, "My father is."

"Are you that daft lass?" Willy growled, "If you hadn't shown up, that sloth wouldn't have ever known about this damn psychopath leading the White Fang."

Blake grit her teeth at the insult to her father as Willy turned around.

"Remember girl, things have changed since you've been here." The bartender growled as he slammed the door.

 **In Mistral Academy…**

"Spring is the problem…" Qrow muttered after the group had heard Leo's explanation.

"She was determined at first," Leo began, "When she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved too much for the child."

"Say no more," Rick said as he got to his feet, "She lost it, didn't she? How many times am I gonna hear that story?"

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"It's a tale as old as time, a group of people decide to give great power to a young person who's not ready for it, they freak out and run, it's not uncommon," Rick said as he stepped forward to Leo's desk, "It's not easy with so many voices tell you what to do, but I guess you don't know what that's like?"

"Rick…calm down," Ruby said as she put a hand on his shoulder, "We're on the same side."

"Sorry, I guess the voices aren't silent yet." The psychopath said with a laugh as he turned to start looking at the nearby book shelf. His mind was racing, something was wrong here but he couldn't place it. He should feel safe but he felt like he was about to fight a horde of Grimm, his mind filled with images of strangling Leo in front of the group.

"What?" Rick suddenly said, earning the groups attention.

"The Maiden is with Yang's mom, Raven, Qrow mentioned her to us." Micca responded, giving Rick a concerned look.

"And we've got to wait until we can get enough people to find her." Jaune added.

"Sorry, I blanked out there for a second." Rick said as the group got up and turned to leave with Qrow stopping and turning to face the professor.

"Keep in contact." He growled as he exited the door, leaving Leo and the armored warrior. The door shut and a symbol suddenly appeared on Leo's desk.

"Oh Leo…we've got to work on your improvisational skills." The voice said before being cut off by the armored warrior.

"This is a problem," The warrior said, a deep feminine exiting the armor, "Qrow is suspicious enough and he's now got even more reason to be, those children are also going to be a problem. Did you notice the girl in red?"

"I did…silver eyes," Leo sighed out, "Salem will want to hear about this."

"Aedan Flint could also be a problem, he's more impulsive than Qrow, he might try something." The samurai said.

"Is that really why you want to fight him?" Leo said as he got to his feet, "I know your feelings for him aren't the most…reasonable."

"If I get the chance, I intend to take it." The woman said as she turned and walked way.

 **In the hallway…**

"So…what do we do now?" Nora asked as the group all walked down the hallway.

"You all head back to the house…I need a drink." Qrow muttered as he stormed off.

 **A few hours later…**

Qrow looked at the glass in his hand, swirling the liquid around, deep in thought.

"E...excuse me." A young voice made Qrow turn around to see a young boy in dirty farm clothes.

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here pipsqueak." Qrow said as he looked at the kid.

"Shut up, I'm getting there," The boy whispered, getting an odd look from Qrow, "I'm supposed to tell you…I'd like my cane back."

 **At a gas station in the middle of nowhere…**

Richard watched as the man came flying out, landing a few paces away from him. The teen barely stifled a laugh as he slid into a nearby pump. The man got up with a growl, grabbing his gun.

"I'd recommend against that," Richard said as he pulled the pump out of his bike, "She was going easy on you."

"Who the hell are you?" The guy growled as he pointed his gun at Richard.

"A wanderer," The mustached teen said as he slowly reached to the other side of the bike, ignoring the gun aimed at him, "I'm just looking for something out here."

"And what's that?" The man responded with a sneer.

"Self, the bounty that drives us all, finding that which drives us." Richard responded, earning a growl from the man. Richard smiled as his hands closed around the rod, ready to show this man how a real wanderer fights, only for the man to yelp in surprise. The mustached teen turned around to see that the man's gun was no longer in his hands, rather in the hands of a rather large man standing in front of him. The teen was taller than Richard by a head, was wearing a fur cloak over his head but left his chest bare. He had various tribal tattoos across his chest and arms, each one looking more like something Aedan would have tattooed on him.

The man turned to Richard, his tanned skin practically shining in the light. He held the gun out to Richard, who shook his head.

"Give it back, guy's probably going to need it to get home," Richard said, the man shrugged and threw it in front of his prey before turning to leave, "Hey, you wouldn't have happened to have seen a group of bandits nearby, would you?"

The man shook his head as he continued down the path, only for Yang to walk out as well.

"You're looking for Raven?" The bandit said as he got to his feet with a smile.

 **In Mistral…**

"Welp, he's drunk…" Rick muttered as he sat down nearby Micca.

"You…have silver eyes…" The boy said as he looked at Ruby.

"…Who are you?" Ruby asked, earning a laugh from Qrow.

"My name is Oscar…" The boy said, before straining himself out, "You probably better know me as…Professor Ozpin."

The group stared at the boy in stunned silence….except for one, Oscar jumped as the sound of a shotgun getting cocked was heard.

"Rick!" Micca yelled as she grabbed her boyfriend, who had pulled out his shotgun.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Rick yelled as Jaune and Ren ran over and started to grab the teen as well.

"Rick, calm down!" Jaune yelled, only for Rick to start pointing his gun at the boy.

"There's only room for one psychopath around here and that's me!" The teen yelled as he attempted to line up a shot.


	3. EMAD Blues

Watts and Lionheart walked out of the chamber, the woman in armor watching as they left.

"We are proceeding as planned," Lionheart said as he walked past him, "Keep up your surveillance on Qrow and the children."

 **In the Forest…**

"Did you hear that?" Maria asked as the sound of an explosion echoed out.

"Sounded like a crash," Alison asked as she pulled out her weapon, "Should we investigate?"

"No," Thatch said as he got to his feet, earning a look from the team, "Ships like that get taken down all the time, the area is probably swarming with Grimm. Not even Atlas soldiers would stand a chance if there are any survivors."

"I think that's a bit of exaggeration…" Francois started, only to be cut off by Maria.

"Thatch is right," Maria said with a sigh, "We don't have the resources to rescue anyone and, even if we did, we're supposed to be undercover."

"You trusting that Jade woman?" Thatch asked, "She's not exactly the most honest person."

"What she said had merit," The centurion said, albeit rather begrudging, "With everything that Atlas has been doing, she has full right to be concerned."

"And she's not wrong when it comes to the political side," Francois jumped in, "Even though they lost a lot of power, the Pendragons still hold a lot of weight when it comes to the people. Atlas and Mistral don't know about her yet, but if they do, it wouldn't be difficult to use it to their advantage."

"What kind of advantage?" The pirate asked, his voice full of confusion.

"They could use it to justify an invasion of Atlas or Mistral." Alison chimed in, making Thatch do a double take.

"Would they try that?" The pirate yelled.

"Keep your voice down," Maria ordered, "Probably not, but it's an example of what they could do."

"So yes my uncouth friend," Francois said as he leaned back against a tree, "There is plenty of reason to try and find her."

"Right…" Thatch muttered as he shifted himself on a rock, "Still don't trust that Jade woman…"

Maria growled as she turned to start walking down a path, her hand going tight on her weapon.

 **A few weeks ago…**

Team EMAD looked at the woman at the desk, her lipstick shined in the light of the reception area. She looked up at them impatiently, her pen drumming her desk.

"We're EMAD," Maria said after she cleared her throat, "I believe Jade Soul sent for us."

"Let me see here," The woman said as she looked over her computer screen, "Ah yes, your arrival was scheduled. She's in the Joint Council Research wing, it's near the back. Please move along, there are others behind you."

Maria Gaia nodded as she started off, her armor gleaming in the light of the building as her team followed. She approached the second entrance but she stopped in front of a booth with armed Atlas guards.

"No weapons allowed," One of the men stated, "Place them into the bin, we'll return them on your way out."

"Is that really necessary?" Maria asked as she gave the man a hard stare.

"Just a security protocol," The guard replied, "With recent event's, we've been forced to disarm anyone entering."

"Recent events?" Maria asked as she pulled out a blade, "Will keeping this make me such a threat."

"Maria," A harsh voice called out, the girl in question growled under her breath, "its orders from Ironwood himself."

"Julia," Maria growled as she looked behind the guards to observe the woman staring her down, "I thought you'd be on your ship."

"I see you heard about that," Julia said with a prideful grin, "Ironwood needs good soldiers fighting in the army."

"I've heard," Maria growled before turning back to the guard, "Here."

She shoved her weapons into the bin before storming into the booth, a quick scan running over her body. She walked out the other end, her teammates looked at each other and did the same. Maria and Julia stared each other down, the tension in the air was palpable to everyone.

"Atlas needs good soldiers," Julia continued, "You and your…associates should sign up, you'd almost certainly be made into a special operations unit."

"I have no interest in joining Ironwoods war," Maria growled, "Not after Beacon."

"Beacon was hardly Ironwoods fault," Julia growled back, "That was different circumstances."

"We brought our enemy an army and he'd risk that again?" The woman in purple growled as she took a step forward, "And what's this about closing our borders and restricting Dust supply? How many innocent people are going to die because of that?"

"Ironwood has to protect our nation," The elder woman growled, "You know that sister."

"We are risking a lot to protect something that might not be in danger in the first place…" Maria started before being cut off by one of her teammates, a boy in armor and a blue feathered hat.

"Pardon me ladies," The teen said with a thick French accent, "But I believe we have an appointment to make, oh fearless leader."

"Right…thanks Francois," Maria said after regaining her composure, "Julia, I bid you farewell."

"Who are you here to see?" Julia asked, her interest piqued.

"We're here to see Jade Soul." A tiny voice said behind the pair, Julia turned to regard Alison.

"Jade…what the hell does she want with you?" Julia growled out loud.

"That's classified," Maria replied with a grin, "So I can't tell you."

"Maria…" The woman growled before a guard cut her off.

"Commander, they have authorization to proceed, this comes directly from the JCRF headquarters." The guard said as he held out a scroll featuring the seal of the group. Julia growled as EMAD walked off, her hand's going white as she gripped the scroll.

"I thought we were going to have to pull you two off each other," The final member said, the boy looking around, "How did she get her commission back after Alex escaped?"

"She was right in one regard, Thatch," Maria responded, "Atlas needs good soldiers and Julia has experience leading them."

"She's got a point," Alison chimed in, "Julia has proven herself on the battlefield and, despite her setbacks, she's loyal to Atlas."

"And I'm afraid that Atlas is in short supply of those things these days." Francois muttered as the team approached a door labeled JCRF, Maria opened the door to see a figure talking on a scroll, her back to them.

"Yes Caroline, I understand, I'm trying to look into on my end," The figure said calmly, "Yes, I know that they are armed with Atlas tech and I'm trying to find where the leak is, I understand. I've got to go, my next appointment just arrived. Make sure to send me your report when you're done, I'll get in contact as soon as I can, Jade out."

The woman turned around, her glasses shining in the light as she did. Maria grumbled a bit as she took in the woman's appearance, the woman was taller than Maria by a head and she had a rather largely endowed chest. Any man would have fallen head over heels but the two men in the room managed to keep their composure, the woman was wearing Atlas colors as she sat down in a chair behind a desk and gestured for the four to sit in a few chairs nearby.

"Maria Gaia, Alison Tzu, Edward Thatch, Francois Delatrois, thank you for seeing me." The woman said as the four sat down.

"The pleasure is ours," Maria said as she did her best to keep her eyes on the woman's face, "What can we do for you?"

"Tell me, what do you four know of Camelot?" Jade asked as she started up her scroll.

"You mean the province in southern Atlas?" Maria asked, "Home of the Knights of the Round?"

"And of Artoria?" Jade asked.

"Only that she disappeared and reappeared during the tournament," Francois jumped in, "That was quite the scandal, I heard about that in the court for weeks."

"Exactly," Jade replied as a screen behind her suddenly booted up, "These are images taken a few weeks ago."

The screen light up with a pictures of a ship taking off from what appeared to be a castle.

"These pictures reached my desk a week ago, we don't known when they were taken," Jade continued, "This ship was seen leaving Camelot airspace, despite no records of its arrival or departure, we've also managed to find more evidence as it passed through Atlas airspace a couple of days ago."

"How did it get through the blockade?" Thatch asked, getting a few odd looks from his team, "What? When we get Serenity repaired I was hoping to fly but Atlas has the airspace locked down tight."

"The ship was Atlas make and it had the proper transmission codes," Jade responded, "Camelot is a province of Atlas and it's military is considered an extended branch of our own, as such, they have the codes to cross over and, due to their unique status, their ships are usually allowed passage through our airspace."

"Now, usually we'd run this by Camelot security, a suspicious ship leaving is usually resolved fairly quickly…however, Camelot was tight lipped about this ship." The woman said, her brow furrowing.

"Why would they keep their own ship a secret?" Francois muttered, "Are they attempting to escape before…"

"No, if they were trying to escape, they'd all leave at once," Maria replied, "The only reason why they'd send a ship through would be if they were smuggling something."

"Exactly," Jade said as she booted up another screen, this one showing a picture of three people in a base near a ship, "We've also managed to recover these pictures as well, they aren't wearing any Atlas colors nor are they wearing Camelot colors."

"So what? Did they just walk onto the base?" Thatch asked with a snort of laughter.

"It appears they had codes to enter the base as well, codes that only someone from inside Camelot would have access to," The woman replied in an even tone, "The serial numbers on the ship match the ones from the other photos."

"So these three stole a ship and just left?" Maria asked, "No…they had to come for something."

"They did, although we didn't receive any confirmation until a few days ago as well," Jade said as she pulled up a picture of a hooded man walking through a street, a dog following behind him, "This man is known as the Hound, a bounty hunter that Camelot is known to employ."

Maria stared at the picture with interest, she could feel the excitement bubbling up inside her.

"He's one of the best, and we also managed to recover this," Jade continued as she pulled up a document, "its label is Assignment A, the document details his mission perimeters, such as secrecy being of the upmost importance."

"It's Artoria," Maria said as the realization hit her, "She ran away again…"

"You've hit the nail on the head," Jade responded, "Nice to see your mind is at least as sharp as your sisters, your assignment is to find and retrieve Artoria and return her to Atlas. She is of upmost importance to the current political state of Atlas, you're to retrieve her as discreetly as possible. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal." Francois said with a nod.

"Good," Jade said as she turned off the screen, "At the main docking area, go to dock 13, a ship will be prepped and waiting for you."

Maria heard a sharp intake of breath from Thatch, she smiled at the thought of him flying again.

"Thank you all for your time," Jade said as she got to her feet, "Dismissed."

 **A few hours later…**

"Did something seem off to you about her?" Thatch muttered as the ship got past the Atlas blockade.

"You mean how she's able to walk with those things?" Francois joked, only to get a death start from both of the women in the ship.

"No, I mean…No!" Thatch yelled, "It's just that…this seems like something far above the likes of us. Sending a group of students on a matter of national security?"

The ship lurched suddenly as some turbulence hit it, causing the three to grab something nearby.

"I admit…I'm a bit concerned as well," Alison said quietly, "Artoria is a dangerous person, not just in combat but in tactics as well."

"I highly doubt we'll be in too much trouble," Maria said as she leaned back, "She doesn't know we are coming."

"Why do I get the idea that you just want to fight her?" Francois muttered.

"What was that, noble boy?" Maria asked with a smile on her face.

"Nothing!" The nobleman yelped as he focused on the thing that was ahead.

"By the way, Thatch? Did you do an inventory?" Maria asked, only for the pirate to face palm.

"Crap, I knew I forgot something!" Thatch yelled.

"Don't worry, I did it already." Alison said with a laugh.

"You know, I think he'd lose his head if you weren't there." Francois cut in, earning a laugh from the team.

"Yeah, its fuel, some Dust, and a crate I couldn't get open but the records say its medical supplies." Alison said as she looked at Maria.

"Oh really?" Maria said as she grabbed her chin in though before turning to walk back, "I'm gonna make sure it's right…no offense Alison."

"None taken," Alison said as Maria started back, "Could you bring up some water?"

"Will do!" Maria yelled back as she climbed down into the cargo hold, closing the hatch behind her. The centurion quickly flicked on the lights as she looked at the various crates, she looked at one with her symbol on it, a laurel wreath, before opening it and pulling out her blade. She then pushed the boxes away, giving her some room before she started swinging. Maria swung her sword around, carefully measuring every swing. The centurion smiled to herself, she had to admit…she was excited at the prospect of fighting Artoria.

She swung her sword a bit more before a sound caught her attention, a soft click. The centurion put her sword down and looked around for the source, right before the ship shook violently. The centurion fell to her knees, as well as a few crates, before getting up.

"Sorry boss," Thatch's voice rang out, "A bit of turbulence, nothing bad."

"Got it," Maria said as she looked at the boxes, "Hey, Alison, where'd you put the manifest?"

"It should be on the wall, near the fire extinguisher." The timid girl's voice rang out, Maria spotted the manifest and quickly pulled it out of its container. It hummed to life as she looked over it, stopping as she saw the medical supplies Alison had mentioned. Maria looked at the respective box, it had just fallen over…and was completely open.

The centurion, her concern written on her face, walked over and looked at the case. Just as the manifest had said, it was full of medical supplies…but something felt off. Maria investigated the lock, a soft growl exiting her throat. It was a time lock, the exact opposite you would put on a medical crate...either someone was very stupid…or something was up. Maria quickly pushed her finger into the sides of the inside of the box, which was a soft foam material. She ran her finger along it until she felt a sudden dip, the centurion dug her fingers into said dip and pulled up.

She quickly pulled out the top of the box to reveal a small chip, akin to one you'd plug into a computer. She quickly pulled it out and rushed back to the top of the ship.

"You bring that water? I'm parched…" Francois said as he was shoved out of the way as Maria put the chip into the ships computer. The ships screen suddenly lit up, revealing the JCRF logo as a video played.

"I knew something was wrong," Thatch growled, "You don't just let the Joint Council Research Federation give you an order."

"Quiet!" Maria growled as the screen changed, opening up to reveal Jade's face.

"Team EMAD, I assume you've already figured out that something was amiss," Jade said as she adjusted herself, "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I need your help. As you already know, Atlas has closed its borders and has ceased to ship Dust…but what isn't public knowledge is that Ironwood has started to seize assets from multiple sources, including the JCRF."

"That's…not good." Francois muttered as he leaned forwards in his seat.

"Atlas has begun the process to procure Camelot assets as well, however, due to its diarchy, only a high king has the right to attempt a refusal," Jade continued, "However, as long as Artoria isn't in the kingdom, seizing any assets is impossible as it would enrage the population. Your true mission is as follows, Artoria clearly ran away…your assignment: Ensure she can stay out of Atlas with impunity. I'm sorry for the deception but…I think you all know what's at stake here. Jade out."

The four teens stood there in silence, before Thatch jumped in.

"So…we are following her orders right?"

 **Modern day, White Fang HQ…**

"No one had to die." Grendel growled as he turned to leave.

"I disagree…" Adam said with a smile on his face as he sat down, only for the door to open and a body fly out, "Roberta!"

"Sorry 'bout that!" A cheerful, female Scottish voice rang out, "We got a daft idiots still attacking us!"

The teen walked in, a smile on her face. She wore a school uniform with a green kilt on, she had blue eyes and dark hair. She also had a hammer over her shoulder, a large with what appeared to be piping on it. She quickly collapsed it, the thing turning into the size of a bagpipe which she threw on her back.

"Indeed," Another, more smooth male voice chimed in, Adam looked up to regard a faunas with a blue, almost hypnotic gaze wearing a military uniform, "Most have been dealt with, a few are still resisting but Wendigo will deal with them soon enough."

"Thank you Griffon," Adam said, barely hiding his disgust for the man, "See to it that our…guest is tended too."

"I certainly will," Griffon said as he turned, his saber on his hip suddenly glinting in the light. As he left, Roberta turned to Adam.

"What's wrong Adam?" The girl asked, only to get a growl from the faunas.

"Leave…" Adam said, his voice dripping with venom suddenly. Roberta shrugged as she turned to leave, she giggled to herself. Any time they talked, Adam and Griffon both ended in a bad mood…

 **In a nearby room…**

"Did you know?" Grendel asked as Griffon closed the door behind him.

"About the assassination? Yes, as a matter of fact, I advised it." The man said as he looked at Grendel's growling face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Grendel growled.

"Because I needed you to play the part," Griffon said in a calm tone of voice, "Your ignorance allowed me to carry out my plan to perfection."

"I don't like being manipulated…" Grendel growled, only for Griffon to hold his hand up.

"Salam sent me here to manipulate the White Fang from the inside," The man said with a smile, "This is part of my plan…a few will escape and spread the word that Adam was the murderer. This seed with spread, creating a rebellion…that I will lead."

"Adam seems to suspect you," Grendel said as he looked at the faunas, "Are you sure it will work?"

"I'm certain of it," Griffon said with a grin, "Even if he suspects my true intentions, I'm far too valuable to be disposed of and he knows that. The man is a fool, but he's got enough intelligence to know that."

"I hope your right," The big man said as he turned around, "Is there anything else to report?"

"The only thing that's about to happen that isn't according to plan is involving some prisoners, but I've persuaded Adam to wait till after Haven to decide to deal with them." Griffon said as he turned to leave.


	4. Truths and Hellhounds

"This isn't a good idea," Willy whispered to Jesse as Ghira exited the building to start his speech, "He's right out in the open."

"Theodora is keeping an eye on any sniper positions and he's got us on ground level," Jesse said as he lit a smoke, "He's got some of the best around keeping an eye on him."

"Still," Willy said as he reached back and scratched his head, his hand getting close to his gun, "This won't end well…if someone gets any ideas, then they spin it as us being the aggressors."

"Guess it doesn't help with your reputation." Jesse said as he blew out a puff of smoke as Ghira started his speech.

"Amigos," Azul started as he pulled out his guitar and started tuning it, "Now is not the time for infighting, besides…we've got more important matters."

The two men turned to see a certain chameleon faunas stepping through the crowd, Jesse and Willy reached for their weapons.

"Hold it," Theodora's voice rang out over an intercom, "She's not armed, if we stop her, we defeat the entire point of this speech."

Both men looked at each other and groaned as they looked back, ready for this powder keg to ignite…

 **In Haven…**

"OK," Jaune said as he looked at Rick, currently sitting down on the couch without any weapons, "So first things first, Oscar isn't trying to take your place as our favorite psychopath, OK?"

Rick nodded as Jaune turned to face Oscar.

"And you really are Ozpin?" The knight asked, earning a nod from Oscar.

"…Are you possessed?" Jaune asked, earning an odd look from the boy.

"He ages backwards!" Nora yelled out, her excitement barely contained.

"He's reincarnated." Ren added calmly.

"This is so weird!" Ruby exclaimed in her bubbly voice.

"It is weird…" Oscar muttered.

"OK, Ok…" Qrow started as he came in, "Let's all take a second to remember that this is all very overwhelming for all of us."

The gang looked at each other before backing off, leaving Rick to stare holes into the boy. His glare only darkened as the group sat down and Oscar started starring at Ruby, Micca quickly cleared her throat, earning the boy's attention.

"So…this is an interesting situation…" The snake faunas said as she looked at Ruby.

"Yeah, we've never met someone with two souls…well…Rick," Ruby started, snapping the teen back to reality, "You don't have two souls right?"

"As far as I'm aware, no." Rick growled back as he looked back at Oscar, his hands instinctively closing around where his ax would be. The boy swallowed as Ozpin's natural instinct picked up on that subtle gesture, his adrenaline starting to take over.

"Not to stop the whole 'getting to know you thing," Qrow started, "But we need to have a talk."

"I agree…" Rick started, "Let's start off with…"

"Mind showing us your little parlor trick?" Qrow said, cutting off Rick.

"Alright…just so you know, I'll still be here." Oscar said, earning an odd look from everyone except Rick, who inwards knew exactly what was about to happen. The boy seized up, before his eye's started glowing green.

"It is so very good to see you again, students." Oscar said in Ozpins voice.

"Oh damn it, not another one…" Micca groaned as she leaned back.

"Oh great!" Rick yelled, disrupting everyone's train of thought, "we've got another person with split personality, let me guess, you can take over Oscar's body whenever you want?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that…but I can't just take over whenever I want," Ozpin said, clearing recognizing that Rick was edging closer to violence, "But Oscar is still here, I imagine this is all very perplexing."

"And alarming, and bazaar, and just really hard to wrap my head around." Nora piped in.

"It's good to see you children have your sense of humor," Ozpin said after a soft laugh, "I know you've all been through extreme hardships."

"It's not your fault…" Ruby started before Rick cut her off.

"Oh no…it's been a cake walk!" Rick growled as he stood up, "We've just lost friends, trekked across two continents, had to save Qrow from an insane scorpion jackass, had to fight off said scorpion jackass, kill a goddamn terrifying Grimm, discover that the Grimm have a goddess they worship, and now that our glories leader is alive and in a child body, am I missing anything else?!"

"Rick!" Micca yelled as she stood up and grabbed him, that's when the teen realized that he had been stepping closer and closer to Oscar. Ozpin hadn't flinched but he recognized that Rick had a glint of murderous intent in his eyes.

"It was my fault," Ozpin started, "I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man or child in the world, I wasn't exaggerating. I have walked the surface of the world for a thousand years, cursed to reincarnate into a likeminded individual. The professor Ozpin you met wasn't my first body, and clearly wasn't my last…"

"And what happened to the man who you once where?" Micca muttered, only for Jaune to drown her out.

"What are you?" The blonde knight asked.

"I'm the combination of countless men who have tried to protect the people of Remnant, our souls merging into one. This cursed was put on me by the gods, because I failed to stop Salam in the past…but now we must stop Salam." Ozpin answered, earning a look from the gang.

"And…how do we do that?" Ruby asked, her voice uncertain.

"We start by ensuring the safety of the relic of knowledge…" Ozpin began…

 **In the Forest of Mistral…**

Weiss groaned as she got to her feet, her head still ringing from that blow to the head.

"Have a nice nap?" Weiss jumped as she looked to see Alex sitting down in the corner of the tent.

"How long have I…" The heiress started before Alex cut her off.

"A few hours," The faunas said as he leaned back, "But on the bright side, at least they were kind enough to give us a nice cage with a good view of the moon."

Weiss looked up and smiled at the shattered moon.

"I guess your right about that," The heiress said with a laugh before noticing something, "Alex…where's your cane?"

"The bastards took it," Alex said with a laugh, "I'm totally not bitter."

Weiss opened her mouth before the faunas suddenly shushed her and pointed at an approaching figure. She was a young woman, covered in tattoos.

"So, tattoo…can I get my cane…" Alex started before a dirty look made him stop, he turned to Weiss, and "You take this one."

 **At Haven…**

"This is perfect!" Nora yelled, "We just need to take cute little Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight."

"That's a terrible idea," Micca said, earning a look from the group, "Considering that Lionheart was acting so odd when we met him, I have a feeling that he's been compromised."

"Correct," Ozpin stated, "As much as I hate to consider the possibility of it, I'd like to keep my presence here a secret."

"Play things close to the chest till we get a better hand." Qrow added, leaning forward.

"Got to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them, eh?" Rick muttered as he sat down.

"That leaves us with two steps, first is to find more huntsmen." Ozpin stated.

"But, besides Aedan, doesn't the council…" Ren started before Qrow cut him off.

"Doesn't own every huntsmen in the kingdom, and I've been here enough to know where to find them." The man stated.

"AS long as they're trustworthy." Ozpin added.

"You mean like you?" Rick growled under his breath.

"That leads to the second step…" Ozpin said.

"What's step two?" Nora asked.

"Getting you into fighting shape." The boy said as he grabbed his cane.

"…but we already know how to fight…" Ruby said, only to have the cane pointed at her.

"You can only fight with Crescent Rose," Ozpin said as he pointed to Jaune, "Mr. Arc, I'm happy you've improved, but you have yet to unlock your semblance. All of you have a ways to go before you're a real threat to Salam, and while Oscar can give me temporary control, I need to strengthen his body and arm."

"But if Qrows out finding huntsmen, who's gonna train us?" Ruby asked, only for Ozpin to do a flip onto a nearby couch.

"I was the headmaster at Beacon for a reason," The boy said as he flipped the cane around, "Just don't expect me to go easy on you."

"Oh, I wouldn't be worried about us…" Rick said with a smile and crack of his knuckles.

 **A few hours later…**

Qrow and Oscar relaxed in the chairs as the group broke for bed, Qrow had sent them away, saying he had to talk to the professor.

"Now then," Ozpin said as he took over Oscar again, "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Look, I've got a few good people in mind, but there's one elephant in the room," Qrow said as he leaned forward, "Aedan Flint."

"Qrow, I don't think that's a good idea," Ozpin stated, "With what you've told me, he's just as likely to kill me and Oscar if he sees us as he is to drink again."

"Ozpin…I didn't actually tell you everything," The drunk man started before he sighed, "Aedan's dying."

The silence was deafening, Oscar, despite not being in control of his body, could feel the intense sadness from Ozpin and his regret.

"How?" Ozpin asked after what felt like eternity.

"Aura poisoning," Qrow answered after taking a drink, "The bastard hadn't used his aura that much in years, and it was too much for him."

"Wait," Oscar said as he suddenly regained control, "What's Aura poisoning?"

 _It's something that can happen very rarely when a huntsmen who hasn't used Aura in a long time suddenly uses it too much, it turns the aura against them. In other words, his own Aura is killing him._ Ozpin replied, making the kid go pale.

"But…Aedan Flint is a hero," Oscar responded, "He once fought an entire army on his own before!"

"That's an exaggeration," Qrow said as he leaned forward, "But I understand, look, despite what we want to do, he's one of the best men I know. We both know we're gonna need him."

After a long pause Oscar opened his mouth.

"He says we'll talk to him tomorrow morning." The boy said with trepidation.

 **In the woods, the next morning…**

The huge man stopped as his dog suddenly growled, his eyes lining up with the horizon. He looked at the dog, who got to its feet. The man clicked his tongue as he got up as well, the campfire burning in front of him, barely illuminating the entrance to the cave behind him. He looked solemnly at the cave before grabbing two spears, one bright red and lined with barbs while the other was black as night and as smooth as silk. He put them on his back and started off into the woods, a hunter ready to track his prey.

 **A short distance away…**

" _Merde!_ " Francois yelled as he pulled his hands up from the remains of a fire, "It's fresh."

"He's close…" Thatch growled as he pulled out his swords, Maria held up her hand to stop him.

"Alison," Maria's voice made the girl snap to attention, the teen in purple pointed at a nearby rock formation that went above the tree lines, "Take Francois scope."

The musketeer scoffed before a look from Maria silenced him.

"Your rifle's range won't help in these woods, Alison can nail him with a ricochet if needed but she needs to be able to see him." Maria said calmly, Francois opened his mouth to object further, but after chewing on the thought, realized that it was a good idea. The teen quickly detached his scope and threw it to Alison, who caught it before starting up the rocks.

"Thatch, Francois…" Maria said, getting the two boy's attention, "Stay together, it's more likely he'll attack me if I'm alone. I want you two to be ready to flank him when he's distracted."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Francois asked, earning a look from Maria, "What if he ambushes you and we can't reach you?"

"I can hold my own for a while," Maria said with a smile at her teammates, "Besides, I've seen how fast you two can run, remember the sauna incident?"

"Hey, that was not our fault!" Thatch yelled out, earning a laugh from Francois and Maria.

"I see your point on that regard," Francois replied as he looked around, "Alright, how will we know where you are?"

Maria pulled out a Dust crystal.

"I'll smash this, the smoke should give you directions, Alison should be able to give me covering fire until you arrive as well." The centurion replied, the pair nodding as Maria set out. After a few moments, Thatch opened his mouth.

"So…we both know she's doing this just so she can try to fight him right?" The pirate asked, earning a chuckle from Francois.

"Oh, very much so," Francois laughed out, "She probably want's to beat him to prove she's the best around."

 **On the rocks…**

Alison watched the various glimpses of Maria through the trees, it wasn't easy but if she had to give him credit, Francois scope was well made. The range was fantastic, allowing her to see the glimpses of Maria with no problem. The girl continued to keep an eye on Maria until a sound made her jump, she quickly looked around to see that no one was around. Alison breathed a sigh of relief and, after reacquiring a visual on Maria, look down at the boys.

The two were standing around and chatting, the teen smiled at the pair. They were having a relatively good time, at least they weren't in direct…that's when Alison noticed something in the trees. She quickly focused on it, realizing it was a red, metallic glow. She quickly reached for her weapon, only to scramble out of the way as a large form came careening up the side of the formation. She quickly leaped away to see the beast, only to be taken aback by the size.

It was a large dog, a black coat covering its lean muscles. A mechanical harness was wrapped around the dog's neck but its most defining feature was its sheer size. It easily stood a little under a meter tall at its shoulders, it's heavily muscled frame was large enough to rival that of a full blood wolf, and it's bared teeth looked more akin to a monsters than a dog. It looked at Alison with a growl, its eyes immediately snapping to her weapon.

The girl immediately leaped into action, leaping for her weapon. The beast snarled as it charged forward, its jaw snapping onto the weapons shaft. The girl stood there locked onto the beast eyes, only to feel an intense heat as she suddenly dodged the fire that erupted from the beast's jaws. The girl dropped her weapon to the ground as she leapt back, regarding the beast that now looked more akin to a hell hound than a dog. It growled again, before leaping forward and latching its jaw onto Alison's surprised leg.

It threw the small teen around like a rag doll before throwing her to the side, the woman gasped as she felt her aura decrease…this wasn't good…

 **In the Valley below…**

 **Insert "Battering Ram," by Saxon…**

"Oh hell!" Thatch yelled as he turned to the sound of an explosion.

"Merde!" Francois yelled, "Let's move…"

The teens voice was cut off into a cry of pain as a he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as he was sent flying back into a tree, only to be paralyzed by the suddenly pain that washed over him. The Frenchman could barely move his head down to see that a red spear was buried in his shoulder and that what appeared to be red, energy based lines running through his arms and legs. It felt like thorns going through his veins and it hurt like hell.

"Francois!" Thatch yelled as he ran over to help his friend.

"Be…hind you!" Francois gasped out, Thatch barely looked up in time to see a black spear narrowly miss his face. The pirate scrambled to his feet, drawing his two cutlasses and regarded his opponent as he drew his spear back. His second spear was longer and had a longer blade and, Thatch could swear he could feel it in the air, felt hungry.

"You're one ugly mother…" Thatch started, only for the man to barrel forward and lunge at him with the spear. The pirate dodged and started running towards Francois, only for the man to swing his spear around and slash Thatch's chest, sending him flying. The renegade landed on his feet with gasp as he raised his blades and firing with machine pistols in their handles, the huge man took his spear with both hands and spun it, each of the bullets landing on the ground in front of him, "Bloody hell…"

That man snarled as he leapt forward, stabbing downward at the pirate, who dodged but was surprised at the man spinning around and connecting a kick to his back. The pirate growled as he swung his blade around, only for the man to block and spin his spear around, pulling the pirate off balance. Thatch, used to fighting dirty, knew this trick and countered by pivoting and slashing at his opponent as he fell, attempting to create space.

The tribal man growled as the blade slashed by his cheek, drawing blood before he brought up his aura. He leapt away and drew a finger across his wound, Thatch laughed as he got to his feet.

"First blood," Thatch said as he pointed his blade, "I believe I have the advantage…"

The pirate was cut off by the man's sudden smile as he drew his bloody finger across his tongue, Thatch yelped as the man surged forward, slamming his spears butt at the pirate, who dodged, only to get a blade into his chest. The pirate felt a sting as it cut into his flesh as he moved back, he looked at the wound. It was only superficial but Dust if it didn't hurt, he looked at his opponent, only to see that the spear was smoking. He could see his blood…absorbed into the spear head, the pirate swallowed hard.

"What the hell are you?" Thatch asked as he raised his blade once again and charged in again, swinging his blades around in an attempt to hit the man once again. The man roared as he brought his spear around, only for Thatch to dodge it and stab at the man. His Aura took the blow but the man merely growled as he grabbed the pirate by the throat and lifted him into the air, Thatch growled and chocked as he dropped his blades and grabbed the man's hands, attempting to pry them off. Thatch could feel his vision go darker as the man's hands continued to tighten, only for a gunshot to ring out and the pressure fade from his neck.

Thatch fell to the ground and turned to see Francois had dug out the spear in his shoulder and had fired a shot into the big man.

"Took you long enough!" Thatch yelled, only for Francois to groan in pain.

"Whatever that spear is…it's not pleasant." The teen growled as he pointed his weapon at the man as he rose to his feet, he cracked his neck as he turned to Francois. A growl echoed the man's lips as his hands tightened on his spear, Francois attempted to fire another shot, only for the man to throw his spear at Francois weapon. The teen yelped as his weapon was knocked off balance and the man came barreling towards him, Francois quickly raising his weapons bayonet to stab at the man as he approached. , h

The man felt the blade pierce his shoulder as his Aura came up, a little bit of blood running down his arm. Another growl echoed from his lips as he attempted to grab the weapon, only for the teen to pull back and stab again. Francois took a few steps back, sweat forming on his brow. His opponent was, for the moment, disarmed and he had reach over him…but he knew that an opponent like this was insane…and might try something that he couldn't predict. The man growled once again as he charged in, this time Francois ducked under his fist and swung his rifles butt at the man, tripping him to the floor. The man fell with a resounding crash and Francois capitalized on this by stabbing at him, the blade sinking into the man's back.

The man roared in pair as he whirled around and kicked Francois away, the teen flying back and landing on his feet near Thatch as the pirate got to his feet.

"How are you feeling?" Francois asked.

"Pissed off and ready for round two." Thatch growled as he raised his blades, the man got to his feet with a growl and grabbed his nearby red spear. He eyed his opponents with deadly intent as he raised his spear, pointing it at the both of them. The pair readied themselves for the next assault, only for a cry to distract them. Both looked up to see Alison on the ground above them holding off a huge dog, her weapon in its teeth.

"Alison!" Thatch yelled, only to turn to see the huge man coming down upon them, his red spear catching the pirates arm. He yelped as he felt the pain run up his arm, dropping one of his blades in the process. Francois yelled as he brought his rifle to bare, firing a shot at the man. The man dodged it and stabbed at the teens head, barely missing it by a hair. Francois simply stabbed at the man with his bayonet, only for the man to dodge around it and shoulder bash him. Francois went back a step, only for the man to grab him and pull him forward off balance.

The teen yelped as the man brought his spear around and slammed its butt into the back of his head, sending him into the dirt. Thatch, recovering from the pain, swung his other sword at the man, who merely dodged it and stabbed the pirate in the shoulder. The blade didn't go deep, put the pain was excruciating as the pirate went limp as the man threw him away, the pirate yelping once again as he landed against a tree. Francois, using the time he had gained, switched his weapon to its normal form, a rapier, and started stabbing.

The man leapt back before raising his spear and leaping in, snarling like a wild animal. Francois nimbly dodged, and pressed the advantage, stabbing at the man's off balance leg. The man yelled in pain as the blade sunk into his legs meat before he shoved the teen away, grabbing his leg in the process. Francois breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of a debilitating injury, only to have that breath cut short as the man stabbed him through his leg. Francois screamed in pain as the man dragged him closer, forcing him to the ground and putting his good knee on his chest.

The man roared as he raised his spear and brought it down, only for it to be blocked by a gladius. Francois smiled a bit as he recognized Maria's determined eyes as she pushed the man off her comrade, his eyes matching hers.

"Impeccable timing as always…" Francois said before groaning in pain as he tried to move.

 **End song, insert "Call out my Name," by Amaranth …**

"Francois, how bad is it?" Maria asked as she saw the man grab a black spear out of a nearby tree.

"My leg? Oh, I will be fine…Thatch is a bit of a different story," Francois groaned as he looked at his comrades groaning mess, "As for him? I got a good blow on his leg but I don't think he cares."

"Alright," Maria growled as the man stayed back, his eyes not leaving hers as he was clearly planning ahead, "What are we dealing with here?"

"Big crazy man," Francois chuckled before coughing, "That red spear hurts like hell when it hits you, as for that black spear? I don't know what it does, other than the fact that it really seemed to like Thatch's blood, but that might be the concussion talking…"

"Got it, get Thatch to safety, Alison is fine…I'll handle him." The centurion commanded.

"Be careful," Francois said as he got to his feet, "Somethings off with him…"

"Noted," Maria said as she raised her blade at the man and addressed him, "My name is Maria Gaia, I am almost undefeated in the combat arena, and do I have the pleasure of your name?"

"Buying time?" The man said, a deep, almost animalistic voice with a tinge of a Welsh in it, "Fine, I'll let the runts escape, call me…Culhwch and I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh really," Maria said as she saw Francois out of the corner of her eye pick up Thatch, "So you know how skilled I am?"

"One loss on your record," The man growled, "It's time to add another."

Maria opened her mouth to say something, only to raise her shield as she saw the man's arm tense up. The black spear rocketed towards her, hitting her shield and sending her flying back. She landed on her feet with a smile, only to look down and see the spear had pierce her shield and was inches from her leg. She was taken aback, this shield had taken blows from high impact sniper rifles and Nevermore wings without so much as taking a dent…what the hell was this guy?

She barely had time to respond as the man lunged at her, his red spear grazing off her shield. Maria grunted as she felt the strength behind the blow…but something was off, she had taken far stronger blows before but they had never pierced her shield like that black spear. She grunted as she stabbed outward, her blade slashing past his arm to draw blood once again. She growled as he merely grunted and swung his blade around, once again glancing off her shield. She shoved back with said shield, attempting to get him off her, only for him to grab his black spear and push her back.

She growled, of course he'd do that, he could control her movements as long as that spear was embedded in her shield and, what was worse, she couldn't transform her shield with that damn thing stuck in it. Maria growled as she slashed at his chest, the man letting go of his spear and stepping back, giving Maria some ground. The teen smiled as she pressed her advantage, attempting to further push him back, only for the man to growl and stab at her exposed face, the girl quickly ducked behind her shield, only for the man to suddenly leap over her and stab at her from above, which she barely dodged.

Maria growled as the man landing, her mind racing.

 _He feinted!_ Maria thought to herself as she whirled her shield around to face him before noticing that he was stepping back, _He's trying to exhaust me!_

Maria smiled to herself at that thought, this man was a true opponent…as much as she prided herself on her near perfect record, and she reveled in the thought of a real fight with an experienced opponent. She looked at the blood pouring down his leg and a real smile came to her lips, she had the perfect plan for this. She waited, readying her defenses, waiting for the man to strike. He roared again as he took the bait, Maria waiting for him to get closer before swinging her shield around with the spear embedded, the black handle slamming into his injured leg. The man yelped in pain he fell to said knee and Maria shoved him back with a shield bash, sending him flying.

The man landed a few steps away on his back as Maria ran up and held her shield aloft and brought it down onto the man's chest, his Aura barely blocking the blow. She brought it down again, this time breaking it. She raised her shield again with a murderous look in her eyes, the adrenaline pumping through her. The man suddenly turned and kicked her, barely damaging her but distracting momentarily. She roared again as she raised her shield again only to stop as she looked at her downed opponent, her thoughts clearing.

Maria saw the desperation in his eyes as she looked over him, a realization coming over, and a cold realization that she was a few seconds away from killing a man. She suddenly noticed how heavy her shield was and a…pain in her arm, the centurion looked over to see that the black spear was digging into her arm. She looked at it incredibly, did it get deeper as she was slamming her shield into him? What had happened and why was she suddenly feeling so tired? The man roared as he suddenly lurched up, knocking her to the ground and climbing on top of her. He raised his fist and started slamming them down onto her, his fist connecting with her face.

She gasped at each blow, the blows barely doing any damage. She almost laughed, he was out of stamina as well, and he was probably in more danger than she was of death. The man roared as he tried to slam again, Maria readying her fist to knock him off. That's when a yell got the man's attention, Maria shouting to get him to not look. Culhwch eye's met those of Thatch's as his eyes flashed red, the man yelling as he fell onto his back.

"Thatch!" Maria yelled as she climbed to her feet as the pair came running over, "You didn't need to do that!"

"I'm sorry, he was on top of you," Thatch said before a smile came to his lips, "I didn't think you'd like being on bottom."

"Thatch, remind me to punch you later." Maria said with a bit of a laugh as well.

"What matters is that the beast is dealt with," Francois said with a laugh before a growl echoed across the field, "Thatch…that was your stomach…right?"

 **End song, insert "Stampede," by Accept…**

"No…" Thatch said as the trio looked at their downed opponent as he got back to his feet, only appearing different now. His skin was covered with red markings, his muscles bulged out slightly and his left eye was dangling out of its socket by a black cord. A breath echoed his lips, red hot steam came across a long red tongue as his good eye snapped towards them, and a snarl echoed his lips as he charged at them, showing no signs of his previous exhaustion.

"Putain de merde!" Francois yelled as the man charged at the trio as the teen hoisted his respective rifle and fired a shot into the charging man, only for the bullets to not even slow his opponent's stride as Culhwch swung his spear around and sent the two men flying away as Maria ducked. She barely had time to respond before the now red hot man grabbed his black spear still in her shield and started slamming her into the dirt akin to one trying to hit a rat with a hammer. Maria yelped in pain as she was sent flying after a few blows but landed on her feet and looked up to see the man holding his two spears aloft, she almost laughed to herself. Two spears, was this a joke?

Maria's laugh quickly turned to a yelp as the man charged at her, slashing at her shield with both of his blades, each one scratching her shield. The centurion was on the defensive, his assault never stopping for a moment and even if she could find an opening, his weapons were too long.

"Think Maria, think!" She yelled to herself as she was forced against a tree, her back scraping against it, "Wait…"

The man readied another flurry of blows but yelped as a barrel came out of the shield, firing rounds as it went. The sheer amount of lead sent the berserker flying back, rolling out of the way as he dodged the bullets. Maria smiled as she fired at him, with that spear gone, she could use her minigun! The berserker roared as he threw his black spear at her again, this time, however, Maria adjusted herself. She angled her shield, deflecting the spear rather than blocking it, but the man followed up by rushing her and stabbing with his red spear.

Maria screamed in pain as it stabbed past her knee, hitting the ground behind her but she didn't relent. The centurion bashed at the man's face with her shield, the man yelped in pain but didn't relent as he let go of his spear and grabbed the shield. Maria yelped once more as he threw her across the clearing, the centurion landing on her back but rolling to her feet as she saw the man draw his spears out of the ground.

"OK, he's stronger than me," The teen muttered to herself as she readied her minigun, "I've got him outranged but that'll only last for as long as I have ammo, he's also strong enough to pierce my shield with that black spear…but only when he throws it."

She fired a volley at the approaching man, who dodged it like a monkey on steroids. She looked at her bullet count as it dwindled with a growl, soon she'd have to resort to pure melee combat and she had a distinct feeling that was a bad idea. Her opponent outranged her sword and as long as he kept a distance, he could wear her out without much fuss. Her semblance told her everything it could, he was fighting with a mixture of styles from Atlas but he was fighting erratically. The holes she could see in his defense were to erratic to predict, she looked at her screen as it started flashing red, she was running low on ammo.

Maria frowned to herself as a final thought occurred to her, this wasn't going to end in her favor…this opponent had outplayed her and she couldn't recover, his spear, his semblance, and his style…this wasn't a fight she could win on her own…he had put her in checkmate. Maria's ammo count was dwindling closer to zero as she realized this, only to suddenly be brought back into reality by a voice on her scroll.

"Maria!" Alison's voice rang out, "Pick up!"

"Alison," Maria said as she focused, "I read you, please tell me you've got good news."

"I do, we've got a plan to defeat him," Alison said, "To the west of your position, there is a river, get there and at the signal, knock him into the water."

"We…" Maria began, only for her scroll to beep at her as her minigun stopped firing. She didn't have time to question it as she turned to the east and started running, she could hear the sounds of the footsteps of the man behind her as he gained on her. The centurion ran through a bush and came to the bank of a river as light shined unto her, blinding her. She then felt as her opponent slammed into her, rocketing the both of them into said river, which, thankfully, wasn't deep.

"Alison, know!" A strong female voice yelled, getting both of the warrior's attention, Maria regarded the two women as they grabbed their shirts and lifted them up. Both Maria and Culhwch averted their gaze, "Maria! Do it now!"

The centurion shook off her shock and, upon realizing her opponent was distracted, grabbed the man and duplexed him into the water. The man roared as he went under, but climbed to his feet.

"Again!" The mysterious woman yelled, which Maria did once more, "Again!"

The man quieted as his head went under for the third time, steam coming off him as he went under. This time, however, when he came up, he was normal, besides his eye hanging out. The mysterious woman ran over and quickly pushed the eye back in. Maria turned to regard the woman, who held up her hand.

"My name is Artoria…I believe you were sent to find," The woman said as she hoisted the man over her shoulder and started dragging him towards the shore, "We'll talk later, let's get your friends to safety."


	5. A Mad, Mad World

Oscar and Qrow walked into the bar as the morning dew tickled their feet, it wasn't hard to spot Aiden, his tall frame taking up a bar stool. He held a glass in his hands that he was staring at, the amber liquid swirling around. He hadn't noticed the pair until Qrow coughed, Aedan turned around to regard the two fellows.

"Oi Qrow, care to join me?" The man said as he raised his glass, "Currently up the creek right now ain't we?"

"Aedan…" Qrow started, only for the former bartender to cut him off again.

"Not only are we completely missing out on the relic, I can't find any damn hunters around here worth my salt." Aedan growled as he downed more liquid.

"Aedan…I have something to show you." Qrow said as he pointed at the boy.

"I'm not becoming a godfather to one of your bastards," Aedan said as he sipped the glass, "I told ya, if your semblance keeps messing your love life, get celibate!"

"Aedan Flint," Ozpin said as he took over Oscar's body, "Former wielder of the blood katana."

Aedan did a double take as he whirled around to look at the boy.

"The hell did ya say boy?" Aedan growled as he got to his feet, Ozpin sighed as he looked up at him.

"Aedan…I know it's been a while…it's me…Ozpin." The boy said, earning a growl from Aedan as he looked the boy up, "We need to ta…"

Ozpin was cut off as Aedan surged forward and grabbed the poor boy by the throat, lifting him into the air. Oscar was panicking inside as he looked into Aedan's firry eyes, eyes that spoke of a deep pain as the man growled. Aedan threw him aside, the boy crashing into a table before falling to the floor.

"Aedan!" Qrow yelled as he grabbed the samurai, trying to stop his movement. The samurai shoved him off as he stepped towards the boy, grabbing him by his collar.

"Ya care to repeat that lad?" Aedan growled as he lifted him up again, "Because last time I met ya, I can distinctly remember tell you what I'd do if I saw ya again. Don't think that this body is gonna stop me, I don't know where ya got it from but I'm gonna ensure ya can't find another."

"Please, stop!" Oscar yelped, taking over briefly. Aedan's eyes flickered suddenly, like a switch had been flipped. He let the boy down slowly, his eyes not moving.

"That's…you're not Ozpin," Aedan said as he turned away, "You can't be, you're to bloody innocent."

"Aedan," Qrow said as he got to his feet, "Let him explain, it's a long story."

"…You got five minutes." Aedan growled as he pulled up a chair.

 **Meanwhile, in the forest of Mistral…**

Yang and Richard rocketed through the forest on their bikes, their new "friend," riding on Yang's bike.

"How much further pal?" Yang asked as they rode.

"This should just about do it!" The man yelled back as Richard looked around, his eyes spotting things moving in the trees. The pair stopped in a clearing, the man quickly jumping off the bike.

"You two wait here, I'll make sure the coast is clear." He said as he took off towards the woods, both Richard and Yang watching as he left.

"Trap?" Richard asked.

"Trap." Yang replied as both got off their bikes, Richard pulling out his weapon collapsed form as Yang took off her gloves and coat. The pair stopped as they heard a gun being cocked, Yang suddenly whirling around to block a shot.

"I can't believe you were dumb enough to let me lead you here." The bandit said as he left, followed by a group of bandits.

"Is this everyone?" Yang asked as she measured the crowd.

"Yes little lady, this is it…unless you count the whole rest of the camp back that way." The bandit leader said as he pointed behind him.

"That way?" Yang asked, pointing in the direction.

"…yes…that way." The man said as a bit of confusion came over his face.

"My Dust," Richard said with a grin, "He's dumber than Rick."

"Shut up! Now to pay me back for my tooth, we're gonna take your bike," The man said as he cracked his knuckles, "And you're gonna take your lumps."

"Oh I don't think so," Richard said as he deployed his weapon, the twin blades emerging as Yang's weapon also deployed, "I'll get the left."

Yang nodded as the two walked into action, a bandit lined up a shot at Richard, only for the monk to surge forward, slamming his fist into the man's gut and kicking him away. The teen whirled around, blocking a blow from another bandit, this one wielding a machete, Richard smiled as he swung the weapon downward, parrying the blow and following up with a slash that sent the man flying away. Richard suddenly put his weapon behind him, blocking a strike from another opponent. Richard smiled but it faded as he looked over to see another bandit lining a shot with her rifle.

Richard grunted in annoyance as his weapon lower blade detached, the monk threw it at the rifle wielding woman, who blocked it, only for Richard to follow up by kicking himself off his current opponent and grabbed it out of the air. The monk landed and followed up by slashing at the woman with both blades, the girl was sent flying into her bandit cohort.

Richard turned around to see that Yang had just finished with the bandit leader, the monk collapsing his weapon as he looked towards the camp.

"Who are you?" The leader growled, "It doesn't matter, when Raven finds you, you're dead!"

"Possibly, but I doubt it," Yang said before looking back, "I'm her daughter after all."

"Think on that for a little bit." Richard said with a laugh as the pair started towards the camp.

 **In Mistral…**

Aedan slammed his glass back onto the ground as he wiped his mouth clean before starring at the pair in front of him. His hand went to his jaw in thought as he poured another drink which he swirled around the glass, Oscar looked at Qrow nervously before clearing his throat. Aedan held up his hand, silencing the boy as he took a breath.

"So…this entire time, you've been reincarnated across the kingdoms, fought Grimm for hundreds of years, have had tons of friends and foes alike, and have been trying to deal with that Salam woman for almost all of them…and ya still couldn't keep your school safe, your students alive, and prevent all hell from breaking loose?" The man said with a grimace at the boy, who looked at Qrow, who merely shrugged as his eyes turned back to the samurai, "Well…that certainly puts confidence in me chest."

"What?" Oscar started before Aedan got to his feet, slamming a few lien onto the bar, grabbing his sword off the ground as well.

"Piss off," Aedan said as he started walking out of the bar, only to stop and sigh, "Qrow…"

The other man looked up at his old friend.

"You lied to me, about everything, you knew about this the whole time, didn't ya?" The old man said accusingly.

"Yes…I did," Qrow replied with a bit of sorrow in his voice, "I wish I didn't have too, but…"

"But what?" Aedan said as Qrow stammered, "I get too attached to people? I'm unstable when it comes to people I care about? Excuse me lad, but last time I checked, you sure didn't seem to care about Pyrrha when she died!"

Aedan stepped forward, getting right in Qrows face, the alcohol on his breath coming clear as day.

"And now you mean to tell me that the man who's responsible for the death of not just Pyrrha Nikos, but thousands of other people, is gonna show up and you're gonna roll over like a dog? I taught you better than that lad!" Aedan roared as he turned to Oscar, "And you, with your goddamn unnatural reincarnation bullcrap, you're just gonna walk in here and ask for my help? You think I can just forget everything you've done?"

"Aedan…" Ozpin said as he took over, "That's not true, I grieve for all those we lost…"

"Oh do ya?" Aedan growled again, "You've reincarnated a lot right? How many have you sacrificed to try and stop Salam? How many Pyrrha Nikos have you let die? How many do you intend to let die before it's over?"

"That's not fair Aedan," Qrow said as he stepped in, "She made her choice."

"She wasn't ready!" Aedan roared back, "She had no business being involved with this, and what's worse? You kept the truth from her! She's dead because of both of you!"

The samurai growled as he turned around to storm off, only to be blocked by Oscar, who was currently staring at the man as one would a Grimm. Aedan's expression softened at that face that scared face that he had seen many times in the past. The man's face hardened as he shoved his way past the boy, only to stop at the door.

"Lad…" The man said as he glanced back, "Do you even know how to fight this war?"

"I…I have Ozpin…" The boy started, only to be cut off by Aedan.

"That's not what I asked, do _you_ know how to fight?" The man said as he turned around to face Oscar full on.

"I…I…I don't." Oscar admitted, his eyes falling to the ground.

"Damn it all…" Aedan growled as he turned to Qrow, "I'll stay with ya, for now."

Both Oscar looked up at the sudden demeanor shift, Aedan's cold eyes stared at them.

"I hate both of ya, but I can't hate the boy," The samurai said as he turned to leave, "I'm not gonna let you kill another one Ozpin, I've already buried enough bodies of people younger than me."

 **Later…**

The teen's watched as Ruby and Oscar sparred, both dodging blows as they worked at fighting each other.

"Man, Oscar's picking up on this fast." Jaune commented as they watched the two fight.

"Kind of helps when you got a cheat sheet," Micca added as the fight continued, "I wonder how much Ozpin is helping him."

"Probably a lot," Rick muttered as he sharpened his ax blade, "That boy still can't fight worth shit."

"That's enough," Aedan's voice rang out, stopping the pair, "Ruby, you've still got a long way to go before ya can start fist fighting."

The pair stared at each other before they turned to walk away.

"Not you Oscar," The samurai called before the boy could leave, "You're not done yet, Rick!"

The teen's head shot up at the mention of his name, a grin showing on his face.

"Come here and spar with our new recruit," Aedan called before turning to face Oscar, "Ozpin, don't help the boy…you know why."

Rick grabbed his ax and attached a leather blade cover as the other teens sat down, all of them looking at Oscar with pity.

"Why does Aedan keep having Oscar spar with Rick?" Jaune asked to the others, "He has to know Rick isn't holding back when he spars."

"I think that's the point," Micca said as Rick and Oscar took fighting stances, "Oscar has to rely on Ozpin right now to get him through a fight, we don't have time for that. We may need to move soon and he needs to be ready."

Rick surged towards the poor lad, slamming his ax into the boy's cane. Oscar gasped as he felt the blow, only for Rick to follow up by kneeing the boy in the stomach. Oscar gasped in pain as Rick grabbed him and shoved him back, following up by slashing at the boy's chest. The leather did little to stop the pain as the psychopath followed up with a blow to the boys legs, knocking them out from under him. Oscar started to fall but Rick grabbed him by the hair and ripped him up, following up this move by head-butting the boy to the ground. Oscar gasped as blood hit the ground, Rick raised his ax to follow up before Aedan's blade stopped him.

"That's enough Rick," Aedan said as he turned to Oscar, "Boy, you've got to fight back, if Rick here was actually trying to kill ya, you'd be dead. I want you to be here tomorrow at dawn, you'll be training with me."

Oscar looked up at the aged warrior before the man turned to Rick and put a hand on his shoulder, a frown appeared on Aedan's lips as he looked at Rick's face. The teen had a snarl on his lips that Aedan hadn't seen on his face before, something was not right with the child. Aedan snapped out of his thoughts as Rick stormed off, brushing the hand off his shoulder. Micca got up and chased after her love while Ruby and Jaune helped Oscar to his feet.

"Oscar, are you OK?" Jaune asked as he raised the boy, the boy groaned in pain.

"Ow…" The boy gasped as he started walking towards a nearby building, "In pain…need ice…"

The pair shared a look before they started after Oscar, a nervous air about them. Aedan stared off, his lips pursed in thought. His eye's shifted as he turned to see what appeared to be a glint of steel in the setting sun, his old eyes recognized that someone was their but he couldn't make out who. His lips frowned again…he and his children were being watched…and he had a suspicion of who sent whoever their spy was.

 **In the building…**

"Rick!" Micca called, stopping the psychopath as he put his ax in the armory, the snake walking up and spinning him around, "What the hell was that?"

"What do you mean?" Rick responded, feigning innocence.

"Outside, you looked like you were about to kill him." Micca said, her voice calm and steady.

"Come on…you know me well enough that I wouldn't do that." Rick said halfheartedly, even himself not believing the lie.

"Rick…talk to me," The faunas said as she grabbed his hands, "I'm here for you, we've been through enough together to talk. What's been bothering you?"

"Micca…it's nothing," Rick said as he let go of her hands, "I'm just nervous…we're finally safe, I'm just not used to it yet."

"Rick," Micca said as she looked at her boyfriend, "Don't lie to me."

"It's just…" Rick began with a sigh, "The fact that Ozpin got to survive and no one else did, Pyrrha, Owen, Shaun…he gets to cheat death and gets a new body to boot. He survives and our friends don't, he failed us and…he expects us to just…forgive him? I can't do that…I can't let go of the people I've lost and I can't just…forgive and forget."

Micca grabbed Rick's shaking hands, only to be taken aback by his change in tone as he continued.

"He betrayed us," Rick said, his voice becoming a growl that Micca did not recognize, "He betrayed us all, he killed our friends, our family…and he's gonna kill that boy. That boy is just like Pyrrha, Ozpin will sacrifice him just like her."

Rick stormed to his feet, his voice getting more filled with rage with each passing word.

"He's gonna die and Ozpin will reincarnate, he'll escape the consequences," The psychopath said, "He'll kill the boy if he's not ready, and he'll get away with it because he's unnatural. We can't trust him, we never could…"

"Rick!" Micca's voice snapped him out of his rant, the teen noticing his palms burned. He brought them to his sight, blood fell from them.

"Did…did me just…" The teen said as he fell down to the floor with a sob, "Micca…I…can't…I'm scared."

Micca walked over to her love and placed her hand on his shoulders, the teen looked up with tears in his eyes.

"I know you are Rick," Micca said as she pulled him into an embrace, "It's OK, I know you're scared and I know you fear for Oscar as much as the rest of us. You're a warrior Rick, you don't like when things can't be solved with your ax. We'll keep Oscar safe as well as each other…don't worry, I won't let something else happen to our friends…and I know you won't either."

Rick leaned his head into Micca's shoulder, a sob coming from his throat. The snake faunas kept her embrace…

 **Meanwhile…**

Thatch groaned as he opened his eyes, feeling hot air on his face. The pirate's eyes opened to see the gaping maw of a beast, he yelped as he leaped back. Only to hear the stifled laughter of Francois, the pirate turned to see the nobleman looking at him over a fire. The rest of EMAD were next to them, as well as Artoria…and their attacker. Thatch reached for his blades, only to realize they weren't at his hips. A grunt earned his attention as the large man held up his twin blades, Thatch eyed the man suspiciously.

"Thatch, calm down," Maria ordered, earning a stare from the pirate, "You've been out for a few days, there's a lot to talk about."

"And what the hell is that about?" Thatch growled as he got to his feet and pointed at the large man who had attacked him, "I thought this guy was a bleeding bounty hunter!"

"Thatch, was it?" Artoria said as she got to her feet, "This man is my protector, sit down and I'll explain everything."

Thatch opened his jaw to start speaking again, only to fell down as he felt a light blow to the back of his legs. He looked over to see the giant hound looking away, clearly feigning innocence.

"Maria told me that you've been searching for me and that you've been given a secret mission to keep me out of Atlas," The woman said as she looked over at her protector, "Culhwch was sent to bring me back…but let's say the situation is more complicated than that."

"What she means is that our friend over here," Francois piped in, "Isn't all he appears to be."

"I'm a bounty hunter yes," Culhwch said as he looked at Thatch, "But my loyalty is my own, I'm not a gilded knight like the rest of her people. I know what is going to happen, so I intend to stay on top."

"What's gonna happen?" Thatch asked, his voice filled with a bit of confusion.

"Camelot isn't going to survive much longer," Alison piped in, "They deny it but already Atlas has started buying stock in the province. They still need Artoria to fully sign over the military, but beyond that…Atlas already owns most of her province. All that's left is the nobility and the military."

"So why not bring her back to Atlas and collect the bounty?" The pirate turned and asked the big man, "Seems like you'd get more than enough to live in luxury."

"My reasons are my own," The man growled as his eyes bored into the pirate, "All you need to know is that I am no threat to you or Artoria unless you cross me or her."

"And why should I trust you?" Thatch said as his hands tightened into fist.

"Because if I was gonna betray you lot, I could have just killed you while you slept." The man responded with a grin. Thatch opened his mouth to argue, only for another voice to cut him off.

"Guys," Josephine's voice made the group stare at her and Perseus as they hauled up a jury rigged satellite, "We've got a problem."

 **Well…that took a while…anyway, thanks for reading the chapter and have a nice day. Also, Zivon…don't make my story the most up to date EMAD story. GET ON IT!**

 **As for the rest of you, have a great day and to all of those who have followed and favorited this story, thank you for taking time out of your day to follow this story. Your support is greatly appreciated.**


	6. The Loss of Control

**Another chapter! Good lord it's been too long!**

 **A quick warning about this next chapter, it will feature some gore so you have been warned!**

"Here you go lad," Roberta said as she passed a tray of food into the cell, the prisoner looked up at her, his mustache stained by blood. A growl echoed his lips as he suddenly surged forward, reaching for the faunas. His hands didn't even reach past the cell door as he growled, Roberta laughed as she watched, "I thought we were supposed to be the animals here."

"Roberta…" The female voice echoed from behind the woman, Roberta turned to regard the female in question, Willow Wallace, "How about you stop annoying him and give me my food."

"Sure thing lassie," Roberta said as she slid in the food, "You know, I've got to say, I'm surprised you haven't tried to throw any more food at my face."

"Not much point," Willow said as she leaned against the back of her cell, "I'm just waiting for Adam to finish this shit."

"Oh William," Roberta said, "We've talked about this, Adam doesn't want to kill you. You've merely been led astray by these filthy humans."

"As you say to me every day," Willow growled, "Are you convinced that if you keep telling me that, I'll believe it after what you did to me friend over there?"

"He's just a human," Roberta said as she looked over at the teenager as he munched on some bread, "A rather attractive one at that, but he's not your kind. He's our enemy, we have to stand together for faunas everywhere. We need to keep each other safe, you thought that once…when you abandoned us for that bastard Rick."

"I said it when we first arrived," Willow said as she got to her feet, "I didn't know…"

"Maybe if you keep saying that, I'll believe it." Roberta said as she turned to leave, leaving the pair to their lonesome. Teddy looked over at Willow with a sigh as he drank some water.

"How many times is she gonna keep bothering us?" The teen said as he finished, "She's annoying."

"I'd rather take annoying over what else the White Fang can do," Willow said as she took a drink, "I'm still surprised we're alive."

"You're alive because of me," A smooth voice filled the air, the pair eye's fell upon Griffon's form as he walked down the hallway, his bodyguard behind him, "Adam wants you dead, but I've managed to get a stay of execution."

"Griffon," Willow said as she looked upon his feminine face, "I never thought I'd see you in the flesh."

"Willow Wallace," The man said as he looked over the girl, "A pleasure to meet you and your companion."

The faunas ignored the scoff from Teddy as he continued to eye Willow, his hypnotic eyes falling on her. A smile came across his lips as he looked over body, the girl blushing despite her circumstances. She felt short of breath couldn't break eye contact. Griffon's smiled widened as he held up a flask of liquid, he opened it and took a bit of a swig. The smell of liquor hit Willow, her mouthwatering as she sniffed the air.

Griffon held out the flask, Willow gently taking it, her movements not threatening in the slightest as she took a drink. She downed the flasks contents and handed it back to Griffon, he took it with a smile.

"My dear Willow," Griffon said as he looked over her, "This barbarism you've been suffering at the hand of the White Fang is inexcusable, you and your friend are being treated like animals."

"Curtesy of your leader, Adam Taurus!" Theodore yelled from his cell, Griffon turned to face the man. His gaze falling upon the man, the man's face was a snarl. Griffon cleared his throat as he turned to look at Willow.

"Willow, you must understand that this is not what the White Fang stands for, I hope you know that," The faunas said, continuing before Theodore could cut him off, "Adam has led us astray, I assure you that this is not who we are."

"What? You expect us to think that Beacon was a fluke of a madman?" Willow said, a snarl coming to her lips that was quickly silenced as Griffon looked at her.

"Beacon was a…travesty, one I didn't know about until it was too late. I would have done everything in my power to stop it, believe me…I know that this will not sustain itself. We cannot maintain this course of action for long, after Adam killed Khan, I started hearing murmurs that it was time for a new leader. Such a brutal act was unprecedented, something that I should have stopped," Griffon said, his voice deep with sorrow, "Adam must be stopped before he kills us all."

"Why…why are you telling me this?" Willow said as she looked at Griffon, who reached out his hand to caress her face, causing her to gasp at the coolness of his skin.

"Because I want your help, my dear Willow," The man said with a smile, "You are a strong willed woman, a great leader…please, with your help…we can correct the White Fang, help them retrieve their…"

"Griffon," a voice cut him off as Roberta came walking down the cell, a frown on her face, "Adam is calling, and he says he has a mission for you."

"Back off Roberta," The bodyguard yelled in his robotic voice, "This is…"

"Now, now Wendigo," Griffon said, calming his bodyguard, "There's no need for that, besides…I think Willow should think about my offer…come Wendigo, let's see what our leader has to say to us."

The pair left the cells, exiting the prison area and passing by a tall figure. A twin blade lay on a box nearby, he snarled as he got to his cybernetic feet. He stretched his upper human body as he looked the pair over.

"Did you succeed?" Maul growled as he followed the pair.

"Oh, I certainly did," Griffon laughed as they traveled, "Willow wasn't able to resist my semblance, she was easy to manipulate."

"I care to remind your boss," Wendigo cut in, "You said the same thing about Caroline."

"I did…but this time I have made sure to ensure my success," Griffon said as he turned his head to give Wendigo an evil stare, "She will obey me."

"Are you sure we shouldn't just take over now?" Maul said as they continued onward, "Adam is getting more and bolder, soon, your hold on him will break."

"After we seize the relic, we'll take it from him," Griffon said as he continued onward, "We need the White Fang until after we get it back, then it will belong to us. We'll seize the White Fang under the cover of overthrowing a madman…barring anything truly insane, our plan will continue to function."

 **The Cells…**

"Ah, I see you met our resident devil Griffon," Roberta said as she retrieve the trays from cells, even Teddy pushed his tray through, "He's one of our commanders."

"And apparently a hunk," Teddy said as he looked over at Willow, "What the hell was that?"

"I…I don't know what you mean…" Willow said as she turned to face her wall, embarrassed.

"I know it's been a while but did you already forget Leonidas?" Teddy yelled across the room.

"Ted…don't…" Willow said as she stared daggers at him, Teddy looked down.

"I'm sorry," Teddy muttered before clearing his throat, "I just…Griffon isn't one to trust, I don't like his voice….it sounds wrong."

"Oh it is wrong," Roberta said with a laugh, "He has that effect on people."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, getting a smirk from Roberta.

"Take a guess, I can't give you all the answers." Roberta said with a grin as she exited, her hips swaying in the wind.

"That chick scares me," Teddy said with a growl as he sat down on what the closes thing he had to a bed, "Still, somethings not right with him, why does he want your help?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Willow said with a smirk.

"Hey," Teddy said with a laugh despite himself, "It's just...everyone thinks you're a traitor, wouldn't it be better to find Blake? She's well known amongst them, the White Fang would probably side with her a bit easier than you."

"Combine that with the fact that her father was once the grand leader of the White Fang…" Willow started before Teddy cut her off.

"What?!" Teddy said as he leaped to his feet, "You mean she's the daughter of one of them?"

"Yes, Ghira Belladonna," Willow said, "Most of the White Fang call him a traitor…well…most of the ones that follow Adam."

"What's his deal anyway?" Teddy asked, "Guy seems to have a hatred for humanity that rivals Grimm."

"I don't know," Willow said, "I've just heard stories, apparently the Schnee Dust Company really hurt him a long time ago and he's been fighting ever since."

"So he feels justified murdering a bunch of kids?" Teddy growled as sat down, "Great turnabout."

"I never said he was a good guy," Willow sighed, "He's a monster, it's just that the rest of the Fang can't, or won't, see it."

 **In the Bandit Camp…**

"So was this part of your plan?" Richard muttered as the pair was escorted throughout the camp.

"Shut up." Yang muttered as they continued along, more and more bandits arming themselves.

"I count way too many to take on head on," The monk growled, "We might need to focus on an exit strategy."

"We'll be fine," Yang muttered, "…the south exit isn't as guarded."

"My thoughts exactly," Richard whispered back as he looked around, "Snipers too…we'll need to be fast."

The pair halted in front of a large tent, the sound of heels clicking earning their attention as a woman walked out. Richard sucked in breath as he looked at her, if he didn't know any better, he'd say she was beautiful. However, he knew that she probably wouldn't appreciate the compliment. The woman wore red and black, her Grimm mask covered her face before she took it off to reveal her black hair. Richards's eye's fell to her weapon, a katana hilt stuck out of the massive sheath.

Thoughts of Aedan slipped into his mind before he shook them off, it had been a while since he saw the big bastard…he could only hope he was OK. His thoughts were interrupted as Raven looked the pair of them up and down.

"Mom…" Yang said expectantly as she put her hand on her hip, Richard looked at his friend and the woman…noting that they did look alike.

"Yang," Raven said as she took a step forward, "So, after all this time, you've finally decided to visit me."

"You know that I searched for you," Yang said as she put her hands together, "I spent years looking for you."

"…and you found me," Raven said as she looked over her daughter, "You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done Yang, but did you have to be so rough with my men?"

"Oh great, she's full of herself," Richard growled, "Just what we needed, also, tell your men to not pick fights with strangers, next one might not be so forgiving."

"In any case, you certainly finished the fight," Raven said as she looked over the pair as an awkward pause held over the camp, "Right, well I'm sure this is all very overwhelming but I admit, you've earned it. I can answer any questions you have, you can stay here for the knight. I'll even have the cooks whip up something nice."

"Oh you can shove it," Richard growled, "You don't get to abandon my friend for years and just act like your just gonna walk all over it."

"What was that?" Raven growled as she looked at the teen.

"I'm not her for you either," Yang growled as she stepped in front of Richard protectively, "Ruby is somewhere in Mistral with Qrow and she's gonna need my help. I just need you to take me too her."

"And why would I do that?" Raven yelled back as Richards hands went for his weapon.

"Because we're family." Yang said sarcastically.

"Family…only coming around when they need something," Raven said as she paced, "I'm disappointed, why not use that drive to find your sister if she means that much to you?"

"Because you're gonna save me time, Ruby was heading to Mistral but there's a chance she hasn't made it that far…plus, dad told me how your semblance works," Yang said as Raven muttered something under her breath, "You can bond with people, and when you do, you can create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad, one for me, and one for Qrow."

"He promised us he'd look after Ruby for us," Richard interjected, "So we just need to reach them."

"Make a portal to my uncle and sister, and I'll be on my way." Yang said with a grin as Richard readied himself for a fight.

"You know…it takes a lot of strength to walk in here and demand something from me," Raven said, "It's very noble that you want to protect your sister but if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause."

"What does that mean?" Richard and Yang both asked, both looking at each other with a nod.

"You don't want to get mixed up with Ozpin, he's not the man you think he is, and Qrow is a fool for trusting him." Raven said as her and Yang started verbally sparring before a glint caught Richards's eye, his eye fell upon a young woman with tattoos holding something. His eyes focused on the weapon, out of place in this dirty camp. A silver rapier with a revolver cylinder holding…Dust…

"Take them away." Raven's voice snapped him out of his stupor as men started moving towards the pair, Richard quickly drew his weapons with a snarl.

"SEND ME TO QROW!" Yang yelled as her eyes turned red as she looked at her mother.

"You watch your mouth around our leader!" A member of the clan yelled as Yang looked at him.

"Make me…" She dared, the man stammered before roaring as he ran in for an attack, only for Yang to duck and send her careening into a tent, which fell over to reveal a wooden cage…with Weiss and Alex in it.

"Yang?!" Weiss yelled.

"Weiss?!" Yang replied in turn.

"Alex?!" Richard yelled.

"Richard! How's it going? How's Rick and the gang?" The fox yelled as he waved.

"Alright…subtlety is out…" Weiss muttered as she looked at her knight, before it increased its size and shattered the cage. Alex quickly grabbed a piece of wood and limped alongside Weiss next to the pair.

"What is that?" Yang yelled as the knight came behind her.

"Don't worry about it, what you are doing here?!" Weiss yelled.

"Well…that's my mom and she can take us to Ruby." The brawler said as she looked at Raven.

"Your mom kidnapped us?" Weiss yelled.

"You kidnapped her?!" Yang yelled.

"You didn't know she was Yang's mom?" Alex yelled, "I could smell it and they have the same eyes.

"No talking, I need an escape plan now Alex!" Richard yelled back.

"South gate is clear but covered by snipers, it's a death trap," The fox yelled, "North gate is locked up tight but we can deal with it, problem is they outnumber 5 to one…"

The plan was interrupted as a lightning bolt careened out of the sky and silenced the fox faunas.

"ENOUGH!" Raven yelled, "If you people don't keep it together, this place will be crawling with Grimm!"

"Oh really? I thought you guys got turned on at the sight of violence!" Alex yelled as he raised his stick.

"Give the girl her weapon back," Raven ordered the tattooed girl, she balked before throwing it, "You four…in my tent."

"Why?" Yang growled back.

"If your gonna help your sister…then you need to know the truth…" The woman said as she turned and entered her tent.

"So…sorry about…" Yang started before Weiss hugged her.

"I missed you so much…" Weiss said as the heiress held her in a tight embrace.

"I missed you too." Yang said as she returned the hug, Alex sighed at the sight before turning to Richard with a smile.

"I'm not hugging you," Richard said before holding out his hand, "But I still missed you."

"Feelings mutual," Alex said as he turned to face the tent, "So…I assume the gang is helping Ruby?"

"…that's a long story…" The monk said with a sigh as he looked around before turning to the tent and entering after the gang.

 **Meanwhile…**

"Get up!" The voice shook Teddy out of his sleep, he looked up to see a masked faunas pointing a gun at him. Willow groaned as she got up as well, another guard pointing her gun at the teenager. Teddy clamored to his feet as the guard shoved open the door, Teddy felt his hands being wrenched in front of him as his hands were cuffed. Theodore heard a click as Willow was given the same treatment before both were shoved into the hallway.

"What's going on here?" Teddy heard Roberta's voice break out before the pair could shuffle their way down the hallway.

"Roberta," One of the soldiers replied, "Adam's orders, he wants the two prisoners brought to him."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?" Roberta asked, her lips pursing as she looked at her two prisoners.

"That's something you'll need to talk to Adam about," The female guard said as she shoved Willow forward, "You can ask him at the assembly."

"Assembly?" Roberta asked, clearly confused at the information.

"You weren't told?" The male guard asked, "You must of missed the message, regardless, he want's these two there."

"Did he saw why?" Roberta asked, her eye's narrowing.

"He didn't say," The female responded, "But we are on a schedule, we need to go."

Roberta opened her mouth to protest before the guards shoved their way past her, the woman looking at the trail of chains, a bad feeling entering her gut. Teddy and Willow were shoved throughout the based, the faunas they saw looking at them with hatred...and fear. The cowboy noticed that for every three that spat at him, others refused to match his eyes. His thoughts were cut short as they arrived at a massive door, loud noises echoed throughout the hall. Cheering and a voice rang in Teddy's ears, he looked over at Willow, who looked back.

Theodore's heart sank as he saw her face, something was very wrong…and he had an idea of what came next. Teddy looked at the ground, his eyes growing dark as he did. He understood this now…this wasn't an assembly, it was something far worse, an execution. The doors opened and the pair was shoved through, falling onto the makeshift stage with a tall, lithe man standing on top of it. His red hair shined in the spotlights as they were ripped to their feet before their hands were chained to a set of post, the guards regarding them with pity.

"…and these two," Adam Taurus yelled as he looked out at the crowd, "A human and a traitor, they are our enemies!"

The fauna's leader finished a sentence as he turned around and slammed his sheathed katana into Teddy's side, the teenager gasping in pain at the blow as Adam turned to Willow, slamming his fist into her jaw.

"Our victory at Beacon was the first step," Adam yelled as he turned to Adam, "Against the humans who treated us like animals!"

Another blow echoed throughout the room as Adam slammed his fist into Teddy's gut, the groan of pain echoing throughout the building as Adam followed up with a blow to the jaw. The teen could feel as blood fell out of his lip, he growled as Adam continued his ran.

"We will show them the true animals," Adam said as he turned and punched Teddy again before turning to Willow as she looked at Teddy in horror, "We will get our revenge and we will punish those who are our enemies. We will not waver in our convictions!"

Adam raised his fist into the air, the crowd cheering…but something was wrong, Teddy saw that several members of the crowd looked at him with horrified expressions. His thoughts were cut off as he heard a blade being drawn, Adam pointing it at the pair of them.

"We will destroy our enemies!" Adam said as he pointed at Willow, "Whomever they might be."

The guards walked up and released her chains, letting the woman fall before they picked her up and dragged her to Adam. She was kept aloft as Adam grazed her cheek with his blade, blood flowing from the cut.

"We aren't animals like them," Adam said, "We won't put down our kind without cause…Willow, choose now…the blade or the fang?"

"Willow, do I…" Teddy yelled before he was cut off by a sharp kick to the gut by a guard.

"Animals don't get to speak," Adam yelled as he turned back to Willow, "Choose us or him."

Willow looked over at Teddy, before a smile broke upon her face. She looked at Adam, a grin forming on his face.

"I choose freedom." Willow replied, before head butting Adam's face, the man yelped in pain as his mask fell off. His eyes lit with a fire as he grabbed the woman and brought her to bear with his face, Teddy growled in pain as he saw it unobscured for the first time. The SDC brand on his eye was gruesome to say the least but Teddy's face soon became distraught as Adam growled.

"This is what they do to us, we are animals to them! We are better than them! You'd rather choose them over your own kind!" Adam roared into Willows face, who merely looked back before replying.

"I chose freedom." She answered as Adam roared, the guards knocking her down to her knees. Adam raised his blade with anger in his eyes, Teddy looked at Willow as the light glinted of the red blade…before it was brought down. The faunas looked at the scene horrified as the cowboy's scream of agony echoed throughout the hall, his legs giving out as he was left suspended by the chains. Adam growled as he pulled out a cloth and cleaned the blood of his blade, Teddy stared at him with rage in his eyes as his chains suddenly went tight as he launched himself at the man. Threats echoed throughout the hall as the cowboy gnashed his teeth, his throat going hoarse as he was once again punched in the gut.

"What is this?" A voice echoed out, the entire crowd turned to see who entered, his shining armor almost brightening the room as he entered followed by his hulking body guard and a faunas with mechanical legs, "Shut down those cameras!"

"Griffon, I sent you on a mission!" The fauna's leader screamed back.

"I returned, what is this and what is this I've heard about an attack on the Belladonnas?" Griffon yelled back before turning back to the camera, "Cut that feed!"

Team EMAD stared at the footage as the feed was cut, Maria looked her present company.

"Do you know where that is?" She asked.

"I do," Culhwch responded, "I was scouting it out in case something happened, about a three hour walk east."

"How soon can we move out?" Maria asked.

"Give me an hour," Artoria responded as she turned to her allies, "We're saving Theodore."

 **A few minutes later…**

"This isn't good," Hazel said as he and Griffon entered the back room, "I saw the Fang, they don't approve of this. Your plan is failing."

"It has not failed yet," Griffon growled as he slammed the door behind him, "I merely need to adjust my time table, it will be easier now my dear Hazel."

"How's that?" The giant man asked.

"Now…they think he's a monster, at Haven…I merely need to…assume leadership from a blood crazy maniac," Griffon said with a chuckle, "He's playing right into my hand."

"Did you know about this?" Hazel growled as he grabbed the desk, anger in his eyes.

"No…but everything Adam does is playing right into my hand," He said as he sat down, "His obsession with that Blake girl will be his undoing and I will capitalize on that."

"You didn't know," Hazel grumbled as he turned to leave, "Just make sure that you take over when it's necessary."

 **Have I mentioned this seasons time line is really hard to figure out? Regardless, thanks for reading and have a nice day. Also, thanks for those who keep adding this story to your favorites/follow even with all it's faults!**

 **Also, Zivon…get your ass in gear! I've been waiting for a update for over a year now!**


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